Atheism

The aunt of one of the women found alive after having been kidnapped in Cleveland 10 years ago says "If you don’t believe in miracles, I suggest you think again."

Uhm ….. seriously?

Gina DeJesus was abducted when she was 14 years old and raped for a decade … and you say "God is looking out for us"?

That's not really the kind of protection I want for my family.

(video link)
(via SMBC)

Some "big news" recently that the woman who worked for British Airways who had already won a ruling to allow her to wear a cross in the workplace, has now taken that same case to the European Court of Human Rights and proven that she has the same right there too.

Cue ridiculously misleading headlines:
The Independent: "Christian woman wins landmark discrimination case."
("Landmark"? Seriously?)

The FT: "BA employee wins right to wear cross."
(She already HAD that right. FFS!)

And of course, the Daily Fail: "'Thank You Jesus' Christian British Airways employee tell of joy as after European court finds she DID face discrimination over silver cross."
(Thanks Jesus! You've allowed a court to re-state the obvious! Well done!)

What most of the coverage is failing to make clear is that there were in fact FOUR court cases being brought before the ECHR and the other three ALL LOST their court cases.



One of those who lost their court case was Gary McFarlane, a relationship counsellor who refused to counsel gay couples because of his religious views. I previously posted an interview with him here (shocked at the lack of opposing voices provided in the interview, but fairly pleased with the amount of pressure placed by the interviewer himself).

The other two were:
- Lillian Ladele, a chaplain who refused to perform civil partnerships. It has now been decided that her wish to discriminate on religious grounds does not trump gay rights or the requirements of her employers.

- Shirley Chaplin, a nurse who had refused to accept the option of wearing a cross a different way in her workplace, such as in the form of a lapel pin. She lost the case that wearing the cross on a chain, which is against the uniform rules for nurses in UK hospitals, was a necessary part of her freedom of religious expression in the workplace.


Andrew Copson, as always, delivers some proper common sense below:


(video link)


Side-Note
Interestingly, a google image search for "ECHR religion rulings" mostly comes up with images related to a case from 2010 where a woman was unable to get her abortion within Ireland in spite of a risk to her life. There were a lot of protests against the ruling by anti-choicers, but perhaps if Ireland had taken that case a little more seriously (since unlike the above, it actually contradicted their own rulings) Savita might still be alive.

Enough is enough! It's time to draw the line against the Republican war on women's rights. Forced vaginal ultrasounds, "forcible rape" legislation (Paul Ryan and Rep. Todd Akin were 2 of the 227 Republican co-sponsors of House Bill H.R. 3: "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" that re-defined the word "rape"), H.R. 358: "The Let Women Die Act" which, among others things, would allow Catholic hospitals to let pregnant women die rather than transfer them to another hospital for an emergency abortion, fertilized egg as person bills at the federal and state levels, abortion restrictions in a plethora of states, attempts to allow employers to deny coverage of contraception in insurance plans according to the employer's conscience, etc. ad nauseum.

I signed The Reproductive Bill of Rights and I urge everyone else to do so. Politicians have no business interfering in our reproductive decisions. Let's create a tsunami of support for reproductive rights!

( Watch the excellent, star-studded video below the cutCollapse )

According to CNN.


Survey: One in five Americans has no religion

Washington (CNN) – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.

The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.

Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.

Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

I found this interesting:

The Pew survey suggested that the Democratic Party would do well to recognize the growth of the unaffiliated, since 63% of them identify with or lean toward that political group. Only 26% of the unaffiliated do the same with the Republican Party.

I have to admit that I don't know any Atheists or Agnostics who are Republican. Is there anyone in this community who is or do any of you know someone who is? I'd be interested in hearing how they justify their political affiliation given the fact that the Republican party is traditionally centered heavily around and supported by those with evangelical religious beliefs (but not always).

According to this guy, anyway.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said Friday that the shootings that took place in an Aurora, Colo. movie theater hours earlier were a result of "ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs" and questioned why nobody else in the theater had a gun to take down the shooter.

During a radio interview on The Heritage Foundation's "Istook Live!" show, Gohmert was asked why he believes such senseless acts of violence take place. Gohmert responded by talking about the weakening of Christian values in the country.

"Some of us happen to believe that when our founders talked about guarding our virtue and freedom, that that was important," he said. "Whether it's John Adams saying our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people ... Ben Franklin, only a virtuous people are capable of freedom, as nations become corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters. We have been at war with the very pillars, the very foundation of this country."

"You know what really gets me, as a Christian, is to see the ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and then some senseless crazy act of a derelict takes place."

Source

Just explained the Higgs boson to my friend even tho I don't understand it. He was very convinced. I bet this is how religions get started.

— Rob DenBleyker (@RobDenBleyker) July 5, 2012

Religious leaders furious over Norway’s proposed circumcision ban

(Source: The Freethinker)

Nothing much to add to this except that I find it amusing to see a religious objection that protecting young children from abuse is "totalitarian". 'My goodness, laws against the mutilation of young boy's genitals? Parts of young children cut off in the privacy of my own home should be of no consequence to the government. It's the nanny state I say!'

Pretty much the only argument against this law is "what about freedom of religion?" and, to be frank, it's not looking like a strong case. You could make a similar argument for human sacrifice, though that has the added benefit that at least the person affected would be doing it of their own free will.