I've written many times on the issue of child witches in Africa. Every year, thousands of kids are abandoned, beaten or killed because their parents or family members suspect them of being witches. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that in Nigeria alone, over 930,000 children are orphaned by HIV/AIDS, and often their remaining family members believe these children were responsible for their parents' d ...

Seems like every other day Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel are protesting something. This week it's the arrest of an Orthodox woman who was slowly starving her child to death. It's believed she has a form of Munchausen syndrom, keeping her child sick in order to gain sympathy from others. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are extreme isolationists, and consider any governmental interference in their affairs worthy of prote ...

I feel sympathy for Scott, who tries his best to explain to Ray that a building or a painting are bad analogies to use when trying to prove something as intangible as God. Ray does the familiar shtick of trying to dumbfound Scott in order to slip in his 'God in the Gaps' bullshit. The question I always find the most insulting is Ray's tactic of asking a person if they have ever stolen something in their liv ...

One of the crappy things about being a fairly recent religion is without the benefit of long stretches of time, the claims made in your religious tomes can usually be tested. Take for instance the Book of Mormon and its claim Native Americans are descendants of Lehi, a prophet who immigrated from Jerusalem to the Americas. Despite the fact there is no archeological evidence to support this claim, many Mormo ...

Normally I don't pay much attention to those who ceaselessly attack Dawkins and Hitchens, mostly because although I respect and enjoy their books, they are not the definitive works on the subject of atheism. Yes, both The God Delusion and God is Not Great make powerful cases against believing in God, but to say these two tomes somehow embody all of the principles of atheism would be a lie, one that Terry Ea ...

This video is courtesy of the Examiner's Paul Fidalgo; it's from a recent episode of Dr. Phil, the pedantic windbag who likes to think his predictable and facile advice is tantamount to revelation. In this episode, he's counseling a couple experiencing theological conflict. The husband, who seems to enjoy reading, has lost his faith in God, and the wife is worried he might poison their children's minds. I'l ...

I'm still amazed there are atheists out there who think the 'battle' is over. Although it may be true that close to 20% of the American population can effectively be called 'non-religious', this hasn't significantly changed how God fearing people see atheists. It would be nice to be able to live peacefully with one another without fear of persecution, bigotry, or hatred. Sadly, we do not yet live in a world ...

I've spoken many times about the fact Canada needs to leave this country. Proportionally, we've taken the heaviest casualties, and even with the hard work accomplished, the country still seems bent on converting itself into a theocratic hellhole. Here are some of the proposed amendments to their constitution President Karzai is trying to pass: Article 132 says. “Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of ill ...

Your average, moderately religious person is deathly afraid of cults. It's not the brainwashing they are afraid of, but rather the type of brainwashing that is used. After all, the most distinguishing characteristics of cults is that they usually take a very literal approach to their religion, and this uncomfortable reality often reminds the faithful there is a dark side to their own belief system. Consider ...

In my own life, I have always sought out issues that are controversial. It's no secret I'm a highly opinionated individual; I've chosen to take a stand on issues I consider to be of fundamental importance. I know there are many out there, even some of my fans, who consider the issue of a person's religion to be a private affair. One fan accused me of being insensitive by 'outing' my sister on my radio show, ...