Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe that our heavenly father can suspend the laws of biology and physics to make seemingly impossible things happen right before your eyes? Yeah, me neither. But a lot of people do, and while it might seem like the right thing to do is to let people believe whatever …
Monthly Archive: April 2011
Apr 28 2011
Tornadoes ravage the bible belt
Many of you may be aware that last night a series of storms tore apart the southern United States, killing more than 250 people: The death toll from severe storms that roared across the U.S. South has risen to at least 250 across six states with Alabama and Mississippi each reporting increases in the number …
Apr 28 2011
The barbarians are still at the gates
Twenty-four years ago, a marginally-talented artist decided to make a statement about the way in which religious figures have been misrepresented by their religious organizations. A fine statement, all things considered. This artist decided to express this opinion by encasing a crucifix in a jar of his own urine and called it, somewhat uncreatively, Piss Christ. …
Apr 27 2011
Stephen Harper has a magic wall of protection
I’ve written one of my patented, irreverent and (hopefully) funny posts over at Canadian Atheist. Here’s a little taste: I wasn’t going to say anything, but I had a surefire way to lock up the election and prevent Stephen Harper from securing a majority government. It was, admittedly, a risky gambit, and somewhat… unorthodox. But …
Apr 27 2011
We no longer have the Conservative Party of Canada
Once upon a time, Canada had two major political parties – Liberal and Conservative. In the mid-20th century the Conservative party re-branded itself as the Progressive Conservative Party. With its economic stance set somewhat toward the right and its social stance being somewhere in the middle of the road, it catered well to those Canadians …
Apr 26 2011
Well I’ll be…
Sometimes – not often, but sometimes – something will happen that catches me completely by surprise: A [city] church has voted to stop signing marriage licenses in protest of the state of [state]‘s denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples. Douglass Boulevard Christian Church made the unanimous vote Sunday. The Rev. Derek Penwell, senior minister …
Apr 26 2011
Good Idea; Bad Idea – the gay edition
And now it’s time for another Good Idea; Bad Idea Good Idea: Providing counselling and other support to gay kids to reduce their risk of killing themselves Several international studies have found higher attempted suicide rates among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth compared with heterosexuals. Overall, suicide is the third leading cause of death …
Apr 25 2011
One thousand words on objectivism
Which is, perhaps, one thousand more than it deserves When I was in high school, a friend loaned me a copy of Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead - a lengthy tome about a superstar architect who defies the forces stacked against him to create the buildings that he wants, not the ones that the mediocratic hordes are creating. …
Apr 22 2011
Movie Friday: Good Friday
Oooh, it might be a vacation day, but there’s no excuse for this being 3 hours late. I always found the phrase ‘Good Friday’ bizarre and faintly Orwellian – EASTER is the good part – the redemption and all that. It seems like Friday is the shitty part – the torture, the humiliation, the ultimate …
Apr 21 2011
Axioms, beliefs, and ideas
I recently had dinner with a good friend, in which we discussed (among other things) conversations that I’ve had with people whose world views differ sharply from my own. We were not referring to people with different opinions on things – that is an unavoidable consequence of being around other people. What we were talking about …
About the Author
Recent Comments