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 ...

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 ...

When I think about the year 2010, the first thing that comes to mind is the sequel to 2001 A Space Odyssey. It makes me think about how optimistic Arthur C. Clark was in terms of the human race's engineering skills. Let's just say it's doubtful we'll be sending anyone to Jupiter. In fact, rather than being a scientific Mecca, the world seems to have taken a nasty turn towards superstitious belief. Case in p ...

I wish everyone just stopped trying to exorcise demons out of people. It's an obviously very dangerous, and utterly pointless thing to do. Of course, you can't seem to get superstitious ignoramuses to sit and listen to reason. Now it looks like ten people will soon be going to jail over the death of Janet Moses, a New Zealand woman who drowned during one of these stupid curse-lifting ceremonies. The troop i ...

If you have a weak stomach, then I urge you not to watch this video. This is uncensored human stupidity at work. If you've ever said superstition isn't harmful, then you've obviously never traveled to some of the less fortunate parts of the world, where the combined brutal ignorance and extreme poverty are a recipe for disaster. If you think this video is outrageous, consider the fact the person who recorde ...

Last week, the Nation Secular Society in England was busy debaptising over 1500 people. If you are like me and wonder what the hell happens at a "debaptism", Religious Intelligence has the story: The recipient of the certificate declares they "reject all [the Church's] Creeds and all other such superstition in particular, the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed by Baptism of alleged Origina ...

Here's a little article courtesy of Boing Boing about the hysteria over 'penis thieves' in Africa. If you've never heard about it, it's the modern equivalent of a witch hunt. It usually starts when panic is stirred up when baseless accusations are launched at undesirables. The whole thing usually ends up with a few deaths caused by an angry and frightened mob. It's an old superstition dating back to ancient ...

Last week on the podcast, I spoke about poor Kara Neuman and her tragic death resulting from her parents praying rather than giving her insulin. While doing so, I mentioned a site that chronicled the deaths caused by superstition. I finally found the url, so if you want to know the kind of harm faith can do, then you need to visit this site, www.whatstheharm.net Depressing to say the least. ...

Since starting this section of the website, I've many great stories, but none were as intense as Krista's. Her early life exemplified the dangers of belief, especially when combined with mindless superstition, ritual, and dogmatic platitudes. Here is her story: I decided to write this in order to draw attention to the damage that religion can cause to children. At the same time I want to say that my parents ...

The 'War on Christmas' is making everyone who fights for the promulgation of Christianity a little bit crazy. The latest story comes from Washington State, where a lawsuit was filed that allows distinct religious symbols to be displayed. After a bunch of Christians and Jews put up their decorations, it's now the turn of atheists to display their faith, and they have erected a sign that says There is no God, ...