219 unmarked graves of infants who died of malnutrition and neglect have now been found.… Read the rest
Sadly, it’s not that simple
Sep 10th, 2010 6:00 pm | By Ophelia BensonA guest post by Peter Beattie
Alom Shaha, of Why Science is Important fame, has a new piece in the Guardian, arguing that “angry atheists” are too quick to hurt the feelings of believers by implying they are stupid and should be more aware that they are capable of holding irrational beliefs too. Empathy, and how we say things, may be more important than what we say.
Superficially, it would be very hard to disagree with all this, and in fact none of the usual suspects in the “‘angry atheist’ brigade“–and I won’t even go there, nor into the tired “fanatical atheism can be as ugly as religious fanaticism” bit–to my knowledge ever have disagreed with it. Of course… Read the rest
Where are we going?
Sep 10th, 2010 11:59 am | By Ophelia BensonI lifted this sermon preached at Duke last Sunday from Jerry. I’m always lifting items from Jerry. What can I tell you? He finds interesting stuff. There’s a lot of irritating nonsense in the sermon, so there are leftovers for me to work on.
It’s nice to have an actual sermon, as opposed to something written for a media outlet. It’s nice to get confirmation that clerics really do talk nonsense in their sermons without having to go to church to listen to them do it.
… Read the restThe last six years have witnessed the publication of a series of books, from a variety of authors, attacking religion with a virulence not seen for a long time. This movement has been
More on Ashtiani
Sep 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe regime wants to fool people into thinking Ashtiani is safe; she is not.… Read the rest
The lie behind ‘suicides’ of Egypt’s young women
Sep 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonOfficially, Egypt has no “honour” killings. Young women may commit suicide, yes, but they are never murdered.… Read the rest
Belgium: hundreds report sexual molestation by priests
Sep 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonCardinal acknowledged that damage control often took precedence over concerns for victims in sexual abuse cases involving clergy.… Read the rest
Michael Ruse on G C Williams (1926-2010)
Sep 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWilliams was one of a group of biologists who completely changed the nature of evolutionary theory in the past half century.… Read the rest
Kurt Westergaard receives press freedom award
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonBBC does its usual best to make him sound like a very bad man; Merkel notes the value of press freedom.… Read the rest
Catholic pilgrims told to make sacrifices
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonBishops told to finger their gold torture-device for the photographer.… Read the rest
Florida godbotherer ditches bonfire plans
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRage boys give their tonsils a good airing.… Read the rest
This fixation on matters ‘spiritual’
Sep 9th, 2010 5:45 pm | By Ophelia BensonPaula Kirby says she was, at first, impressed by the pope’s letter to the Irish about the child-rape problem.
How many politicians or corporations have been able to bring themselves to say, ‘You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry’? I was impressed. (On reflection, perhaps more impressed than I should have been, given that statements of contrition trip lightly off the tongues of those who repeat them daily in Mass or in the Confessional, and are told that repentance is all that is required to release them from guilt.)
Exact, as they say in Sweden. The contrition sounded entirely empty and in fact insulting, to me, for that very reason, but then I’ve been soaked in the malfeasance … Read the rest
An apostate on Park 51 and reasonable criticism
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonLet us ask the important questions about problems within Islam instead of weird arithmetic about the distance from Park 51 to Ground Zero.… Read the rest
Johann Hari to Britain’s Catholics
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRatzinger refuses to let any police officer see the Vatican’s documentation, even now.… Read the rest
Paula Kirby on the Vatican and sin versus crime
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWhat is a crime against a mere child compared with a crime against God?… Read the rest
Romania tries to tax witches and fortune tellers
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA law where witches and fortune tellers would have to produce receipts, and would also be held liable for wrong predictions.… Read the rest
Why having chronic illness hasn’t turned me to god
Sep 9th, 2010 | By Amy ClareAs an atheist, I am often told that I shouldn’t criticise religion, as it offers comfort to people in difficult situations. When you suffer every day, the faithful tell me, you need the hope and meaning that religion gives you – the implication of course being that atheism is a luxury, something that only privileged, comfortable, healthy, able-bodied people can indulge in.
These same people are often surprised to learn that I have a debilitating chronic medical condition, and in fact I do suffer every day. And yet, I have still not turned to god. I still do not believe in an afterlife, despite the fact that in my Earthly life, I will probably never feel truly healthy or ‘normal’ … Read the rest
Statement by Ashtiani’s son
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“I ask the eight industrial countries and Turkey and Brazil and the entire world to continue the pressure against Iran.”… Read the rest
BBC replies to Maryam; Maryam replies to BBC
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSaying that stoning is no longer in existence in Iran or labeling Ms Ashtiani a murderer has direct bearings on her case.… Read the rest
Citizens of the world against flogging and stoning
Sep 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe Islamist regime in Iran is killing Sakineh little by little, to demonstrate its continued existence.… Read the rest
The sexually abused dancing boys of Afghanistan
Sep 8th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonDancing boys are picked out at a young age by men who cruise the streets looking for boys among the poor and vulnerable.… Read the rest