Christian woman destroys blasphemous artwork

I guess Muslims don’t have a monopoly when it comes to over-reacting to cartoons depicting their religious leaders. A Montana woman was recently charged with first degree criminal mischief after she entered a Colorado art gallery with a crowbar and destroyed a series of prints depicting a she-male Jesus receiving oral sex from another man. It’s actually a lot more milquetoast than it sounds.

The artist had been receiving so many death threats that he stopped opening his mail altogether, proving once again religious people are murderously sensitive when it comes to their indefensible beliefs. Kathleen Folden, 56 was wearing a “My savior is tough as nails” (which actually reminds me of a pretty blasphemous ad), but apparently this all powerful entity is incapable of defending himself, and needs crowbar-wielding thugs to do his bidding. His power is truly astounding, is it not? Here’s what her lawyer had to say:

Folden’s attorney, Cliff Stricklin, commented today, “The focus has been on Ms. Folden here today and yesterday, but I think the focus should probably be changed a little bit and we should be asking why the City of Loveland would have deliberately endorsed such a provocative, insensitive depiction and display.”

Yeah, that’s really the important question to ask: why would a museum put up art that was controversial? Artists should just cater to our aesthetic tastes; their creative expression be damned! After all, you might accidentally offend intolerant truck drivers with nothing better to do than be a thug for Jesus.

What really pisses me off about this whole story is in response to this outburst of violence, the gallery no longer offers the print for sale. Mission accomplished everybody! That’s how you silence artistic expression; one act of vandalism at a time.

The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 160

This bonus show, I have an interview with Susan Jacoby, author of “The Age of American Unreason” and “Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism“. It was my special honor to interview her on behalf of the Atheist Alliance International as she was the recipient of the Richard Dawkins Award.

The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 160
Loading
/

Irreducible Complexity’s Michael Behe has an atheist son

Apparently, the fact his offspring don’t believe in the same thing he does has made life pretty unbearable for everyone:

Q: How is your relationship with your family? From what I remember from his talk, you have many siblings.
A: Bad. And I do confidently blame religion for this. I certainly don’t think it always turns out this way, but my stubbornness in maintaining and voicing my beliefs conflicted with my parents’ policy of keeping the rest of my family shielded from alternate viewpoints. “Indoctrination”, unfortunately, is really the word that describes it best, and I do believe that my younger brothers (the members of my family I am closest to) are truly being hurt by this. So my parents and I are in perpetual disagreement. I have,  for the most part, stopped talking to my parents, and I am not allowed to speak to my little brothers at all. I don’t want to complain, but this has been very painful for both them and me. Hoping to move out soon.

Wow, who would have guessed failing to believe in the same dogma as everyone else would be alienating? I find it sad and telling they refuse to have him speak to his other siblings. I guess Behe is worried these secular ideas might just spread to the rest of his offspring; better to keep them isolated and sequestered from reality. Here’s a wacky idea: why don’t you let people think for themselves, Mike? After all, is it not the desire of every parent to raise their own children to be critical thinkers? I guess that goes out the fucking window when it comes to your invisible friend in the clouds…

How to debate with an atheist

Yeah, that’s pretty much the only kind of debating tactic which tends to work for theists who desperately want to defend their Invisible Sky Patriarch. Apparently he’s all powerful but still needs his slave monkeys to beat the shit out of anyone who doesn’t believe. Good times…

Brisbane man gets charged for wearing offensive t-shirt

A couple of months ago, Alexsei Vladmir Nikola was walking down the street with his “Jesus is a Cunt” t-shirt and was spotted by police officers, who immediately took offense to the hot masturbating nun on the front. He’s been charged with public nuisance, and faces up to six months in jail if found guilty.

How exactly is wearing a t-shirt public nuisance? Well you see, old Christian ladies might get all worked up over their favorite deity getting mocked, and that just won’t do. Better to lock his ass up in jail and teach him expressing your opinions in shirt form is a serious crime, especially if it hurts the feelings of religious rubes! Keep locking up your citizens for speaking their minds, Australia; you truly are a bastion of freedom.

The Best of Hitchens

In case you haven’t seen this video floating around the webs, check out this highlight of Christopher Hitchen’s best verbal bitch-slaps. It fills me with sadness we may soon lose this intellectual giant.

The AAI Montreal Conference in a nutshell

A few fans asked me if I could share my thoughts about the Atheist Alliance International Conference that took place last weekend. As some of you know (and most of you will once you listen to the last podcast), we were asked to do the live podcast for the event. Considering there was no valid excuse NOT to do it, I accepted, even though I had never actually stepped foot in a conference before, let alone an atheist one.

Luckily, I had my trusty co-hosts Ryan and Jeff along for the fun, which eased the stress of doing a show in front of a live audience. We knew going in we’d be relative unknowns, but considering the usual tone of the podcast, I was nervous the reaction from the crowd might be utter shock or dismay. The average age of that audience was about 50, but luckily, everyone seemed to have a good sense of humor and the show went a lot better than I had imagined (or was it feared?), with Ryan overhearing positive comments from some of the attendees.

After the show I was approached by Larry over at Sandwalk who invited all of us to have diner with PZ Myers and a couple from the Center for Inquiry Ottawa. The hotel bar, which had already stolen 40 dollars from us with their overpriced beers (at 10 bucks a pop), managed to take more of our money, although this time we ordered the cheapest thing we could on the menu. The meal was completely ordinary, although the service itself was probably even more atrocious than their prices. It took forever to get our damn bills.


Daniel Dennet was speaking the next morning at 8, but we were all too zonked to make it. Instead we headed out after lunch, catching the tail end of the day’s talks. Jeff and I stuck around waiting for the big dinner, which was supposed to play parts of my interview with Susan Jacoby, but due to technical difficulties it ended up being scrapped. They then showed a movie, “The Evangelist” which cleared the room faster than a dirty-bomb scare, and by the time of the dance party, everyone had vamoosed. I tried doing a few break-dancing moves for laughs, and Jonathan Jerry (the AAI’s photographer) took a few pictures of us striking a pose. After working up a sweat, we headed out with some patrons from Saskatoon and drank till the wee hours of the morning. I was so hung over I missed the entire Sunday lineup. Yep, I suck something fierce.

All in all, it was a great first experience, but I have to say something in the format left me with the impression conferences aren’t really designed to attract a younger crowd. I could count on one hand the amount of people who were in their early 20′s. It made me realize if we’re going to make an impact on the next generation, we have to find a way to entice young people. The hard-core supporters aren’t getting any younger, and we need new blood!

Gullible woman sees Jesus in MRI

Sure, it looks like Jesus, if he had his face re-arranged by a crowbar. Hey, I don’t want to seem like a bummer for pointing out blurry images are hardly proof of the existence of a deity, but shit this dumb makes my head hurt. Why does the media ALWAYS answer the call every time some gullible idiot claims to see their chosen god in a taco, grill-cheese sandwich or a dog’s butt-hole? Surely there are more interesting stories than “highly impressionable rube is tricked by pareidolia“.

The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 159

TGA’ s one and only live show, broadcasted during the American Atheist convention in Montreal, Canada.

The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 159
Loading
/

The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 158

This week, Ryan and I talk about a study that found atheists to be less generous than their sectarian counterparts, and we’ll also discuss the wisdom of getting kids baptized. Oh, and we also make fun of Ray Comfort. I know, it’s too easy, but hey, we’re trying to get warmed up for the live show tomorrow!

The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 158
Loading
/

Shoot the Devil in the face, and you’ll stop being afraid

I’ve never been able to fully appreciate the kind of fear mongering religions are well known for, mostly because I was never influenced by their terrifying dogma. It’s easy for many of us non-believers to scoff at the claims devils casually walk the earth, looking for souls to devour. But for millions of impressionable children, these kinds of messages often create fear and panic over the thought of being possessed or even destroyed by supernatural forces.

The Escapist has an interesting article about how a young man found the courage to face his fear of the Devil by playing Doom and Diablo II. Since his church filled his head with vague stories of demons waiting around every corner without shape or substance, he found shooting their physical manifestations, even if they were in video game form, was therapeutic. For the first time in his life he was able to confront the imagery that had so terrified him:

Satan, as presented in my religious indoctrination, haunted me because I could never truly perceive him. He was an invisible being that could strike at any time and turn me into the head-spinning, bile spitting torture victim from The Exorcist. In Doom, supernatural evil had corporeal bodies, ones that I could puncture with a full arsenal of weaponry found lying around like discarded trash. They had the ability to return the hurt, sure, but that’s what picking up med kits and new suits of armor were for.

It kind of makes me wonder if that isn’t the best way to get young people to stop being so afraid of the “monsters under their beds”. Preachers are often notorious when it comes to drumming up fear to terrify their flock, but they can’t contend with the entertainment value of a good video game. And rather than being a passive observer, the player is an integral part of the story, leading the charge against demon hordes. Have video games helped more kids get over their fear of the supernatural? Maybe not, but would you stop playing them even if they didn’t?

American Family Association Boycotts “Homo Depot”

If you’re planning on renovating your home and wonder where to buy your lumber, I recommend that you might give Home Depot a try. Why? Well, the company has a very pro-gay attitude, so much so that the American Family Association has pledged to boycott them, “Homo-Depot”.

Never heard of these guys? Here’s a short description from their website:

The AFA is a non-profit organization that advocates traditional family values and the reform of American culture “to reflect Biblical truth on which it was founded.”

That’s a pretty nice way to describe them. I would argue that my description, however, is a little more accurate:

The AFA is a non-profit organization that advocates bigotry and close-mindedness, and the erosion of American values of democracy and equal rights in order to reflect their Bronze Age book of mythology.

What specifically is Home Depot doing that so outrages these douchebags? The AFA objects to the fact that the company insurance plan covers sex change operations and offers extended insurance to same-sex partners, thereby promoting the “lifestyle” of homosexuality, rather than making these human beings feel ashamed of being gay.

You could argue the company is only trying to attract the immense purchasing power of gays (who tend to be well educated and middle class), but so what? In exchange for this pandering they are going above and beyond what other companies are doing, and that’s not something one should ignore. The AFA sure isn’t, and we shouldn’t either.

“Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” founder goes into hiding

The immortal words of Adlai Stevenson still carry with them the poignant reminder that there is more to life than merely fighting for what you believe; you also have to live by those principles, even when it seems impossibly hard to do so.

You might recall a few months ago, cartoonist Molly Norris gained a great deal of media attention after declaring May 20th 2010 “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day“, her response to Comedy Central censoring an episode featuring the prophet. Although she was enthusiastic about the project at first,  it soon spiraled beyond her control and she suddenly found herself desperately trying to disassociate herself from the “holiday”. By then it was way too late, and the day came to have a life of its own.

Fast-forward to today, where Molly has been forced to go into hiding after she became the target of a fatwa by the Radical American-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki back in July.

A soul that is so debased, as to enjoy the ridicule of the Messenger of Allah, the mercy to mankind; a soul that is so ungrateful towards its lord that it defames the Prophet of the religion Allah has chosen for his creation does not deserve life, does not deserve to breathe the air.

Since the threat, Molly has changed her name and gone into hiding at the insistence of the FBI. Her life has forever been changed simply because she tried to fight for principles she believed in. The fear, anxiety and isolation she now feels is the direct consequence of those principles conflicting with the dogmatic and violent insistence from fellow humans who take their ridiculous books of mythology way too seriously. Just remember when you’re fighting against irrationality and fear-mongering, living up to the principles of free speech can tax the resolve of even the noblest individual.

NOTE: Here’s an interesting article written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali talking about the need to take a more serious stance against death threats. By doing what she suggests (seriously prosecuting individuals who issue them), do we erode the very idea of freedom of speech, or are we protecting it?

Ray Comfort is hilariously dumb

A few days ago I wrote an article about a crusty old religious white dude who claimed to know more about the Universe than Stephen Hawking, presumably because a dusty old book of myths told him so. Because Stephen had the “audacity” to postulate the Universe created itself, religious rubes have been tripping over one another trying to voice their objections to one of history’s greatest minds smacking down their God myths. A number of irrational voices are making themselves heard, including my favorite mustachioed clown, Ray Comfort.

“It is embarrassingly unscientific to speak of anything creating itself from nothing…Common sense says that if something possessed the ability to create itself from nothing, then that something wasn’t nothing; it was something – a very intelligent creative power of some sort”

The only person here who should be embarrassed over such a dumb statement should be Comfort himself. This is the same man who argued the banana was proof of God’s designing genius . You may also recall a few months ago, this moron released a highly edited version of the Origin of Species with a 50 page foreword trying to undermine what is arguably one of the most important books in the history of our species. He might as well have tried doing the same with Newton’s Principia, but since gravity doesn’t actually interfere with his narrow belief system (he lives in an age where most Christians have begrudgingly accepted the Earth is not the center of the Universe), he desperately needed to diminish the brilliance of evolution any way he can.

As for his statement “common sense” can tell us something about the world, it only further proves he has no idea what he’s talking about. Our powers of perceptions may be useful to us when trying to navigate this cooling ball of rock we call home, but they are completely inadequate when trying to understand the nature of the Universe. Take quantum mechanics as an example: anyone who aspires to comprehend the world of atoms using common sense is bound to lose their minds. The Universe does not conform to our senses; rather we must conform to it.

Comfort isn’t the only fool trying to tackle the magnitude of Professor Hawking’s genius. Religionists all over the world probably felt a mixture of confusion and frustration over the fact the best minds in the world continue to deny the supremacy of their God. They are convinced only a dogmatic belief like theirs could make such pronunciations, and science has become a new religion. Comfort and his ignorant brethren fail to realize if the evidence was pointing towards a God, science would be fully endorsing the notion of a creator. Unlike religion, which begins with a set of beliefs and tries to find ways to justify them any way possible, science is about direct observation, experimentation, and falsifiability, all things which are antithetical to religion. That the search of the truth about our world and our existence has revealed religion to be the make-believe nonsense it is must be a painful pill to swallow. Of course, there’s no law that states a person has to accept reality, is there?

Don’t mess with Baldy

Another great video from The Thinking Atheist. I think the artist actually used a picture of the actor who played Elisha in another video about the very same story. I don’t know who the guy’s name is, but he should probably get some royalties or something!