“Science cannot guarantee
That God does not exist”;
This is true, although it’s bound to cause confusion.
Science speaks more cautiously
But roughly, here’s the gist:
Simply, God can’t be distinguished from illusion.
Long, involved, science-based rant, after the jump: [Read more…]
A national forest is no place for Jesus
Just standing there, blessing the snow
He’s been at the top of the ski lift for decades
But now it seems Jesus must go.
Appeals to tradition from some of the locals
Will, hopefully, fall on deaf ears
Breaking the law isn’t magically better
When done for some fifty-odd years
The Knights of Columbus appealed the decision—
They claim it’s for veterans’ sake
Cos veterans all must be Christians, you know…
A common, but stupid, mistake.
Their privilege revoked, the reaction was speedy;
A new “save the statue” petition
It’s clearly against the establishment clause
But Christians get special permission.
The statue is tacky. It’s kitschy and gauche;
Standing right where there’s beauty to see
And the beautiful vista will come into view
When the mountain’s once more Jesus-free!
Story after the jump: [Read more…]
Wrong-again Harold had made a prediction
Wrong-again Harold was once again wrong
Wrong-again Harold believed in a fiction,
But wrong-again Harold kept chugging along.
Wrong-again Harold had plenty of money
So wrong-again Harold bought billboards and such
People who saw them all thought they were funny
But wrong-again Harold, he didn’t care much
Wrong-again Harold misled the believers
Wrong-again Harold expressed no remorse
Wrong-again, wrong-again,
String-em-along-again,
Wrong-again Harold stayed true to his course.
Wrong-again Harold, he looked through the bible
Wrong-again Harold, he did all the math
Wrong-again Harold, he claim’s he’s reli’ble
And gives us the date and the time of god’s wrath
Wrong-again Harold, I feel I should mention,
Wrong-again Harold has done this before;
Wrong-again Harold, he craves the attention—
Wrong-again Harold’s a media whore.
Wrong-again Harold misled the reporters
Wrong-again Harold expressed no remorse
Wrong-again, wrong-again,
String-em-along-again,
Wrong-again Harold stayed true to his course.
Wrong-again Harold’s not much of a story
Wrong-again Harold has nothing to say
Wrong about rapture and heaven and glory
Please, can we just put this story away?
Wrong-again Harold, the media darling,
Radio, papers, the web, and TV
There on your soapbox, you’ve led me to snarling:
Bury this story, and just let me be!
Wrong-again Harold provided the message
Wrong-again Media, added their force
Wrong-again, wrong-again,
String-us-along-again,
Wrong-again Harold stayed true to his course.
That was my verse from the earlier end of the world. You know, the third or fourth prediction. Not today’s.
I know it’s the end of the world today, but I can’t find it in the early editions of any news sites! You know it’s a bad day for parasitic end-of-times cultists when the only ones paying attention are the ones making fun of them.
I’m sorry; I didn’t wear purple today,
But I have to say, in fairness—
I’m not opposed at all to gay rights;
I’m opposed to “raising awareness”
I’ll speak my mind; I’ll teach my class;
I’ll probably reach a few;
But tell me… “raising awareness”—
What, exactly, does it do?
Some homophobic moron
Could be very much “aware”
He knows that he discriminates
And proudly does not care
“Awareness” is a fiction
Roughly on a par with “prayer”
Petitioning an entity
That isn’t even there.
I will not dress in purple
(even though it sounds like fun)
I will not raise awareness—
I would rather get things done.
Explanation, after the jump: [Read more…]
My most recent post touched a very sensitive nerve with me; I’ve bumped up against faith healing before. I can’t blame the believers too much in these cases, but I certainly can blame the religion.
A friend of mine, some thirty years ago,
The eldest son, a farming family’s pride,
Was gone from school, about a month or so
Before we heard the truth—the boy had died.
He’d fallen from a tractor in a field,
Though whether he was dead first, we don’t know;
The coroner’s exam? Too late to yield
An answer; there was nothing it could show.
His parents tried to cure the boy with prayer–
They brought him home, and put their son to bed.
Devout and faithful, hope turned to despair;
It broke their hearts, admitting he was dead.
Their church—to whom they turn when times are rough—
Blamed them, and said they had not prayed enough.
Again, these are the examples that leap to mind whenever I hear “but religion gives people hope”. Perhaps there was nothing medicine could have done for my friend; we will never know. But to have a system in place for blaming the parents for their lack of faith, that is just cruel.
Throw away your medicines!
God alone can cure!
Trust in Him, repent your sins
Make sure your thoughts are pure!
God can cure your HIV
With love that never fades
Trust in Him, and you will see
He’ll cure you of your AIDS
God’s healing is omnipotent
And infinite in worth
It brings an end that’s heaven-sent
To illness on the Earth
So throw away your medicines
Sing praises to His name!
And when your illness kills you, then
Your lack of faith’s to blame.
Deadly pinheaded faith-healing nonsense, after the jump:
[Read more…]
You’re a grand old pin
You’re a star-spangled pin
And forever you’ve graced my lapel
You’re against the rules
But that’s for fools
My bosses can all go to hell
Call the Fox News Crew
For the Red, White, and Blue
Let the thumping of chests begin!
Should equal treatment be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old pin
You’re a grand old pin
You’re a patriot’s pin
And I wear you for others to see
Though the rule applies
To other guys
They’ll make an exception for me!
Sing it loud and true
It’s the Red White, and Blue!
Where majority view should win
Should equal treatment be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old pin
Context and rant, after the jump:
Evangelicals can’t be a threat to science,
But merely to evolution
And they’re only a danger to secular views
Like the ones in the Constitution
Their values are different; I’ll give you that,
Like a focus on unborn life
And a view that the state has a right to define
Who may marry (a man and his wife)
They know the importance of spreading The Word
Which is why they want prayer kept in schools
Without it, the hallways are godless and ill
With just atheist, secular rules.
Are we dangerous? No, we’re as gentle as lambs!
All we want is the bible’s authority
It’s the least we can ask, though it’s always denied
We’re a picked-on and bullied majority
rant, after the jump:
This isn’t religious, it’s merely tradition
I’m certain our case will be met with approval
A secular prayer—just a trivial thing—
So we’ll fight tooth and nail to prevent its removal
The prayer was a gift from a class in the sixties
Its place in tradition just can’t be denied
This isn’t religious! It’s all about freedom!
And we’ll fight, with our secular god on our side
For decades, the mural’s been there in the hallway
And no one—not one—had complained it’s religious
The taunting and threats that this Jessica’s getting?
It’s her fault alone, cos she’s so damned litigious
She’s out for attention! That’s all that this is!
The god-hating liberal, atheist slut!
We good Christian people should teach her a lesson
How sometimes it’s safer to keep your mouth shut.
How dare she insult us? How dare she mock God?
How dare she belittle the prayer in the hall?
How dare she believe that the law’s on her side—
Remember… this isn’t religious at all!
Angry rant, after the jump:
[Read more…]
The Providence Journal profiles the student behind the Cranston first amendment case; I’d be awfully proud of her if she were my kid.
As a high school freshman, Jessica Ahlquist wore shiny braces, read books and never missed an episode of “Dr. Who,” a TV show about a time-traveling alien who saves civilizations, helps people and rights wrongs.
“I was very shy,” says the 5-foot-tall student.
Hardly anyone noticed her — until she spotted a school prayer affixed to a wall in the auditorium of her new school, Cranston High School West.
She recognized that the mural violated the establishment clause, and began speaking about it at school meetings.
“I didn’t want to talk. I was terrified of saying I was an atheist. When I spoke, I heard a gasp. I knew then that people didn’t share my beliefs. It was an unwelcoming atmosphere. People belittled me and treated me like a little kid.”
She stuck to her guns, showing more intelligence and considerably more courage than her detractors, whose actions say this is a religious fight, but whose rhetoric claims it is an attempt to preserve the school’s traditions and not cave in “because one person in the history of the school objects.”
In this attempt to preserve the school’s traditions…
Since then, she says, students and adults have called her a “stupid atheist,” an ACLU tool, a witch and a “media whore.” They’ve also threatened her through e-mails or at school, she says.
A former classmate told her that, if she knew what he really thought of her, she would kill herself, she says.
Fortunately, some people see a brave girl on the right side of the law, and recognize her for it:
Next month, the ACLU will present her with the William G. McLoughlin First Amendment Award, named after a Brown University history professor and liberal activist.
Read the whole article–these snippets are a small fraction–and add Jessica Ahlquist to your list of real world heroes. It also includes an excellent summary and timeline of the case.
eta:
And read at least a few of the comments afterward–one in particular is from the mom, unnamed but also joined in the suit, who (quite reasonably) goes unnamed to prevent her own child from being harassed like Jessica has been, and you’ll see how ugly a majority can be, and how important rights are for protection against that ugliness.