So, according to a dude who heard voices in his head, God speaks in exactly the same voice that you do, and magically agrees with everything you say. Now, I should warn you that the tiny, insignificant voice in the back of your head that keeps on criticizing your decision not to question that voice is really the devil. He’s so tricky, he’ll try and convince you that you’re merely choosing to re-enforce your opinions by thinking that they’re endorsed by a supreme being.

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Every so often, I hear someone claim that honor killings have nothing to do with Islam. While it’s true that the practice is actually older than the religion (it is, after all, the “new kid on the block” compared to the other two Abrahamic Religions), it seems as though this barbaric ritual has found fertile ground in this religion. While the practice has it’s roots in much older Arab patriarchal societies that tried desperately to control women’s reproductive rights, it’s now become a kind of punishment for any perceived infraction of their twisted morality.

Take the story of 17 year old Rand Abdel-Qader as an example: this young omen had the misfortune of falling in love with a British soldier stationed in Basra, and when the family found out about the infatuation (the innocence of which cannot be overstated), they teamed up to strangle her to death and left her body in an unmarked shallow grave. Her father’s only regret now is that he did not murder his daughter while she was still an innocent child:

‘Death was the least she deserved,’ said Abdel-Qader. ‘I don’t regret it. I had the support of all my friends who are fathers, like me, and know what she did was unacceptable to any Muslim that honours his religion,’ he said.
‘I have only two boys from now on. That girl was a mistake in my life. I know God is blessing me for what I did,’ he said, his voice swelling with pride. ‘My sons are by my side, and they were men enough to help me finish the life of someone who just brought shame to ours.’

If you’re hoping for some kind of happy ending to this story (like this shitty father being incarcerated for murder), then I’m sorry to inform you that the cops were congratulating him for having the balls to kill his own child. The worse they’ve done is fire him from his job, although the local government official did give him money to lay low in Jordan for a while. Isn’t it nice to know you have the support of your community when you’re an infantacidal, religious douchebag?

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Fan of the show William is beaming with pride, and with good reason: he’s a member of the Reno Coalition of Reason, and they’re celebrating the erection of this billboard, asking: “are you good without God? Millions are!”. It’s great to see how effective atheists have gotten at organizing and spreading the word that non-believers aren’t a fringe group. We’re much larger than anyone imagines, and we’re getting pretty sick and tired of religious people shoving their religion (among other things) down our throats.

Congratulations on getting the job done, boys and girls!

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If you’re unfamiliar with the insanity of Cindy Jacobs, I have the misfortune of introducing you to a special kind of crazy bitch. Imagine if Marcia Gay Harden character in the movie “The Mist” had somehow found a way to traverse the fantasy barrier and crossed over into the real world (yes, I know it’s a terrible movie plot, but someone should have said that to Arnold Schwarzenegger) In January of 2011, she claimed that the mysterious death of thousands of migratory birds was the result of God punishing the world (through animal proxy, of course) for gays being allowed to serve in the military. Here she’s opposing the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters, claiming that all of this is really the work of the devil, who intends to try and take rich people’s money away.

It’s ironic that she talks about class warfare when her own organization’s aims sound very much like that of a paramilitary group, or the kind of mission statement you’d expect from a super-villain group:

Generals International is an international movement that thrives to reform the nations of the world. We are achieving societal transformation through intercession and the prophetic. Together, the staff works to expand the Kingdom of God by bearing the vision of Generals International to reform the nations of the world through the ministry of the prophetic.

The irony in all of this is that Jacobs and her ilk are attempting something similar with their 40 days 40 nights campaign (let’s call it “Occupy Washington”) in order to transform it into the “District of Christ“. It’s ok though: they’re doing it for the Lord;  not a bunch of lazy bums that blame all of their problems on rich people (well, the ones that stole their pensions, anyways).  When you’re working for the Lord, you’ve got an important job to do:

While many want to wear the label of intercessor, few are willing to pay the price to hear the still small voice of God. The intercessor petitions the throne of God with the desires of God for His people. It is not about asking God for selish desires that can be used on our own lust, it is about discerning the will of God and then giving Him agreement and petitioning Him to implement His will on earth. A true intercessor prays God’s Word back to Him. Since God seeks voluntary lovers, we have the opportunity to cooperate with Him to implement His will on Earth. “Your will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven” is not an empty platitude; it is the vision statement for God’s original intent for mankind.

What bugs me about these kinds of power hungry madmen (or madwomen) is this idea they have that their crazy ambitions are a kind of desirable piety. It’s all for someone else in their eyes, you see. So every dollar they embezzle in their little “world reformation” plan is regarded, unquestioningly, as the will of Jesus (who is going to eventually show up any moment and claim the place, but they’ll gladly take the keys in the meantime).  And Lo it’s a miracle! Their savior believes in precisely the same things they do. Hallelujah!

(via Right Wing Watch)

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First, if you make it the whole way through this video, you’re made of tougher stuff than I am. I started tuning out as soon as this idiot started to ask whether or not this “Dawkinist” had ever challenged her assumption that theories require falsification and experimentation in order to be proven to be true. This is the same guy, by the way, that goes on to claim that his notion that Jesus is a God is itself a theory. No, it certainly isn’t. It’s a stupid belief predicated on a fantasy novel written by ignorant sheep fuckers.

I feel as though blond girl here did her best to defend against his stupid wordplay, but in the end, her debating skills failed her. Of course, the video is edited by this dufus, so we’ll never know if she had a few zingers in there. In the future, here are some arguments that work wonders against this kind of pathetic claim:

a) A scientific Theory is not a guess. It’s a model meant to explain a phenomenon of nature. The model is only an approximation of reality, but so long as it conforms with observation, we can assume that it is correct.
b) A question can be grammatically correct and still be meaningless. What is the color of sadness?
c) The notion that Jesus is a God is not a theory, for it presents no facts, no evidence to support it, and does not make any predictions. Any evidence to prove that he wasn’t a God (like his shocking ignorance about the causes of illnesses) is usually ignored.
d) If a religious person wants me to question my assumptions, I have no problem doing so, as long as they are willing to do the same (which never fucking happens). In the end, atheists make the fewest assumptions of all (simply that there is insufficient evidence for a God).
e) The theory that things need to be proven in order to be true is constantly being tested. Every time a particle accelerator turns on, every time someone puts something in a beaker, this theory is being put to the test.

Can you guys think up any of your own? Trust me, it makes you feel better after listening to this jackass for 9 minutes.

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Who else but Fox and Friends would be willing to report on this “non-story”. It turns out that a 1998 biology textbook entitled “Asking About Life” has some pretty honest words concerning creationism and it’s religious roots. Unsurprisingly, some Christians are feeling singled out. While it’s true that they aren’t the only morons who think that something complex can’t possibly be the result of natural forces, there’s no denying where the dogma is originating from.

Taking a page out of the Catholic Church and its long history of censorship, some idiot parent is attempting to have the book banned (if you can’t beat em, ban em’). Here’s a pretty basic question: What else is a science book supposed to write on creationism? Maybe the dictionary can be of some help:

a traditional or legendary story…with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

Uh oh, you better ban the dictionary too; I think it has a bias against those who make shit up too…

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It’s hilarious how most Muslims are convinced that their restrictive religious repression of women is somehow intended to protect them. You hear this all the time in Islamic countries; they think we let our women “run around unprotected” while they “bravely” restrict every part of their lives in the misguided belief that it’s really all for their own good. The culture of Islam makes women seem like dangerous, seductive weapons that clouds the judgement of men. Why else would they execute victims of rape, if not to vindicate the idea that it is always the woman’s fault for seducing the rapist in the first place?

In the light of this prism, the slavery of women is viewed as an extension of man’s submission to God, but as the old adage goes: ladies first! Rebelliousness, seen in any light, is to be extinguished, as was the case with actress Marzieh Vafamehr, who found out herself living out the plot of her new movie “My Tehran for Sale“. The scenario involves a young woman struggling to live in a country of contradictions, where young people live secret lives together in a brutal religious theocracy. This important movie is currently being distributed on the sly, since the country has banned it.

According to an interview with the director of the movie, the government sought a number of bogus charges, including failure to cover her hair with a hijab, consuming alcohol on set, and being part of the production (she wasn’t). The sentence is the kind of thing you’d expect from a theocratic and misogynistic society: 90 red-hot lashes and a whole year of rotting in jail, all for the “crime” of acting in someone else’s movie. Considering the number of women that often fail to survive the aftermath of such unnessasarry brutality, I hope she’s made of tougher stuff.

The contradictory nature of Iran is why there are really two pictures of this place: one filled with young women who live out their lives in a secret world that resembles our own, and the other populated by religious thugs who patrol the streets looking for these secret places. When these worlds clash, the only ones to bother talking about it tend to be Persian Christian Missionaries operating out of the Alpharetta, Georgia. Their presence there only exacerbates the situation of course; religion is precisely the problem in Iran. Another faith is hardly the solution.

We have to ask ourselves what we can do ourselves to expose the evils of this religion outside of the sphere of influence of Christianity. It’s our duty to see that the injustices of any faith are given the proper attention they deserve. Until we do, how can we continue to claim the moral high ground?

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Sick and tired of children’s entertainment that’s fun, informational, and secularist? Well, The Flizbins are here, and they promise you “safe” children’s programming. Presumably, the stuff that’s currently out there for pre-schoolers must all be evil or unsafe. Luckily, their totally inoffensive songs are sure to delight parents and kids alike!

You can tell from their stiff, forced dances that something educational is happening, especially after they say the word “Dance” a total of 46 times. I especially love the clumsy rap introduced- rather inelegantly- by primitive beat-boxing. Their odd message, interspersed by the supposed need to dance, seems utterly drowned out by the repetitive music. If they are trying to communicate anything with your children, it’s quickly lost in their meaningless chorus. Dance because God loves spending time with you! Dance because the sky reminds some cowboy how awesome your imaginary friend is! Dance because you’re trying to make money in this overcrowded market!

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I still can’t tell whether or not Bill O’Reily actually believes that God himself created the moon. Considering he’s an opportunist trying to appeal to his geriatric base that thinks an invisible man in the sky made the whole Universe just for them to retire in, I give it a 50/50 chance he’s simply full of shit. Hey, it’s either that or he’s a gigantic moron. Which one is more desirable?

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