Katha Pollitt on blasphemy. She starts with a public radio chat in which John Hockenberry said to BBC chief Jeremy Bowen: Hockenberry: I’m wondering if it’s possible for the United Nations to create an initiative that would talk about some sort of global convention on blasphemy, that would create a cooperative enterprise to control these kinds of …
Monthly Archive: September 2012
Sep 30 2012
A less cheerful observation of Blasphemy Day
In which protesters in Bangladesh torch at least four Buddhist temples and fifteen Buddhist dwellings, “after complaining that a Buddhist man had insulted Islam, police and residents said.” What did he say? Islam wears army boots? Islam has bad breath? Islam repeated the second grade four times? Muslims took to the streets in the area …
Sep 30 2012
More blasphemy
From The Rational Fool, reposted with permission. Reasoning with Ramayana – Canto I Ever since my granddaughter was born, I have been dreading the day when I will have to start fulfilling my paramount duty as a grandfather. Yes, I am talking about bedtime stories. Right now, she’ll go to sleep on my shoulder happily, …
Sep 30 2012
Why?
EllenBeth Wachs and Rebecca Watson were at the Humanists of Florida Association conference this weekend, and so was Kelly Damerow of the Secular Coalition for America. They both separately chatted with her face to face about the appointment of Justin Vacula as co-director of the Pennsylvania chapter of the SCA. They also asked questions during …
Sep 30 2012
More blasphemy for blasphemy day
To adapt a line of Kingsley Amis’s, God is a soppy fool with a fase like a pigs bum.
Sep 30 2012
Happy international blasphemy day
Have a little fuck the muthafucka courtesy of Tim Minchin.
Sep 30 2012
The long arm of the law
Florida’s a scary place. If you ever have the bad luck to be taken hostage there by a guy armed with a gun and a knife, you might find yourself being prosecuted if you survive. A Florida woman is being accused of not defending her two children as their father stabbed them in the midst …
Sep 29 2012
Devastating, passionate and ferocious
In re-reading Maryam’s talk and the comments on it I saw a link to a post by someone who attended the NSS Conference. Nick was good, he says. Nick was a fantastically eloquent and inspiring speaker – talking about self-censorship and imploring us to always be free to criticise “divinely inspired bigotry and facism”. His …
Sep 29 2012
Who is an Islamophobe?
As I mentioned, in my horrid sarcastic mocking horrid way, I’m getting called Islamophobic a good bit these days. I’m getting called it here and even on the chat threads at Pharyngula, The Lounge and Thunderdome. (On the other hand it’s by the same people, so it doesn’t add up to more, it just adds …
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