2009: A Collection Of Kooky Quotes From The Texas State Board of Education

With the new year approaching, it’s worthwhile to remember what we’ve heard from the religious right in 2009. We will start today where we began the year: with the religious right’s efforts to undermine science education by watering down instruction on evolution in public school science classrooms.

“Jeffrey Dahmer Believed in Evolution.’”

– The subject line of a widely circulated e-mail attacking the teaching of evolution in Texas public schools and suggesting that learning about evolution led Dahmer, an infamous serial murderer, to kill and cannibalize 17 boys, TFN Insider, February 2, 2009

“I disagree with these experts. Somebody’s gotta stand up to experts that are… I don’t know why they’re doing it.”

– Texas State Board of Education Chairman Don McLeroy, R-College Station, in a rambling defense of the creationist arguments he used to attack evolutionary theory during the final debate over new public school science curriculum standards, TFN Insider, March 27, 2009

“I pray for my three friends, Pat Hardy of Ft. Worth, Bob Craig of Lubbock, and Geraldine ‘Tincy’ Miller of Dallas. They voted against the Republican Party platform and allowed themselves to be constantly lobbied by prominent atheists and secular humanists. These three Republicans will now have to stand accountable before their constituents.”

– Texas State Board of Education Ken Mercer, R-San Antonio, criticizing fellow Republicans on the state board who didn’t support watering down instruction on evolution in public school science classrooms, San Antonio Express-News, February 9, 2009

“Evolution has been jammed down our throats our whole lives. I’m glad of the opportunity to look at the other side of the coin.”

– Tim Smith, an Abilene resident who attended a church seminar designed to show how scientific evidence supports creationism, not the theory of evolution, Abilene Reporter-News, January 10, 2009

“While state legislatures haggle over the words science, theory, and weaknesses, American schoolchildren continue to rank poorly in science education among the nations of the world. Pouring more money into the status quo of evolution-based science education isn’t the answer. Teaching the truth is.”

– Henry Morris III, a prominent evolution denier and CEO of the Dallas- based Institute for Creation Research, which has sued the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for refusing to grant the organization approval to offer master’s of science education degrees in the state, U.S. News and world Report, February 2, 2009

“Personally, I don’t believe in evolution. I don’t believe I came from a salamander that came out of a pond.”

– State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, discussing his proposed legislation that would have exempted the Institute for Creation Research from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s rules, Austin American-Statesman, March 16, 2009

“When the Universe was smaller, the gravitational effect was huge and the time on Earth would have been a billion times slower.”

– Robert Carr, a retired chief executive and contributor to the Creation Museum in Kentucky, offering his thoughts about how God created the earth in six days, AFP, February 5, 2009

“The obvious problem here is that it is simply not possible to be a Christian in any meaningful sense of the word, and at the same time, embrace the tenets of atheistic evolution.”

“What kind of monster parents teach their children that they’re descended from rodents and reptiles?”

“What do these apostate morons celebrate at their Sunday services, the lies about humanity’s origins told by Moses, Jesus, and Paul?”

– Robert Bowie Johnson Jr., writing in his book Sowing Atheism: The National Academy of Sciences’ Sinister Scheme to Teach Our Children They’re Descended from Reptiles, which Texas State Board of Education Chairman Don McLeroy heartily endorsed. TFN Insider, March 18, 2009

“The culture war over science education, the teaching of evolution, is going to be there, no matter what. Education is too important not to politicize.”

– State Board of Education member Don McLeroy, R-Bryan, finally being honest about turning public schools into political battlegrounds, Texas Tribune, November 3, 2009

“Am I a religious fanatic? Absolutely. You’d have to be to do what I do.”

– State Board of Education member Don McLeroy, R-Bryan, Texas Tribune, November 5, 2009

“It must have slipped these people’s minds that God created the heavens and the earth and has control over what’s going on. (Dear Lord Jesus … did I just open a new pandora’s box?) Yeah, I said it. Do you honestly believe God would allow humans to destroy the earth He created? Of course, if you don’t believe in God and creationism then I can see why you would easily buy into the whole global warming fanfare.”

– Chris Allen, a Kentucky TV weatherman who holds no college degree, listed in a report by U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., as a member of a list of 700 “prominent scientists” who object to the statement that the scientific community has reached a consensus about the effects of human activities on global warming, EthicsDaily, April 20, 2009

The Unconsidered Life - A.C. Grayling

Philosopher and author AC Grayling on thinking critically and being a well-informed citizen of the world.

The Anaesthetic of Familiarity

Richard Dawkins reading from the first chapter of his amazing book Unweaving the Rainbow : Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder

To live at all is miracle enough.
- Mervyn Peake

We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively outnumbers the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.

The entire first chapter of Unweaving the Rainbow can be read here.

It's Christmas Eve, Is Your Heathen Tree Decked?

The Prophet Jeremiah condemned as Pagan the ancient Middle Eastern practice of cutting down trees, bringing them into the home and decorating them. Of course, these were not really Christmas trees, because Jesus was not born until centuries later, and the use of Christmas trees was not introduced for many centuries after his birth. Apparently, in Jeremiah's time the "heathen" would cut down trees, carve or decorate them in the form of a god or goddess, and overlay it with precious metals. Some Christians feel that this Pagan practice was similar enough to our present use of Christmas trees that this passage from Jeremiah can be used to condemn both:

Jeremiah 10:2-4: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." (KJV).

• The English Puritans condemned a number of customs associated with Christmas, such as the use of the Yule log, holly, mistletoe, etc. Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event."

• In America, the Pilgrim's second governor, William Bradford, a Puritan, tried hard to stamp out all "pagan mockery" at Christmas time. Christmas trees were not used by Puritans in colonial times. However, if they were, they would certainly have been forbidden.

• In 1851, Pastor Henry Schwan of Cleveland OH appears to have been the person responsible for decorating the first Christmas tree in an American church. His parishioners condemned the idea as a Pagan practice; some even threatened the pastor with harm. But objections soon dissipated.

Sarah Palin Has Moose Manure For Brains

Twitter forces users to express thoughts in 140 characters or less. Some people are good at this, and some...not so much. These are actual posts that the almost Vice President made on her Twitter account from this past Saturday:

It gives me a warm cozy feeling to know that millions of my fellow countrymen want her to become our next president.

New Atheist Holiday Traditions

[click to embiggen]

I especially like the Phylogenetic Tree and the Hominidae Nativity Scene. I'll have to check with the wife and see if we can incorporate them into our annual celebration.

Atheism and Christmas with Rickey Gervais

The Universe Doesn't Care What You Believe

[click to embiggen]

Even God is Annoyed by Twilight

"My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the Twilight I longed for has become a horror to me." - Isaiah 21:4

"Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them." - Isaiah 1:14

These passages are definately in reference to the movie Twilight; the story of a young woman's choice to practice either bestiality or necrophilia. Yahweh is in no way talking about squashing all Pagan religions and rituals in the book of Isaiah.

Sarah Palin Unknowingly Endorses Cannibalism in "Going Rogue"

“If any vegans came over for dinner, I could whip them up a salad, then explain my philosophy on being a carnivore: If God had not intended for us to eat animals, how come He made them out of meat?”

You know our country is in a very sad state when quotes from a vice president candidate could be mistaken for quotes from Homer Simpson.

17 Seconds of Unbearable Cuteness

With so many depressing news stories out right now involving war, murder, pedophilia..., I really need something to brighten up my day!

Doctors should write out a prescription for "Suprised Kitty" as an anti-depressant.

Aggressive Atheism

The rest of Pat Condell's videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/patcondell

Irish Police and Clergy Protected Pedophile Priests, Even One Priest who Admits to Abusing 100 Children.

Following a three-year investigation in the Dublin Archdiocese, the country’s largest, the report concluded that four archbishops routinely protected abusers and failed to inform police of the allegations. One priest admitted to sexually abusing over 100 children, while another confessed that he had abused on a fortnightly basis over 25 years.

“The volume of revelations of child sexual abuse by clergy over the past 35 years or so has been described by a Church source as a ‘tsunami’ of sexual abuse,” said the report….

The judicial probe discovered that the archbishops did not report abuse to police until the 1990s as part of a culture of secrecy and to try and avoid damaging the reputation of the Church.

The report said: “All other considerations, including the welfare of children and justice for victims, were subordinated to these priorities”.

It found children who complained “were often met with denial, arrogance and cover-up and with incompetence and incomprehension in some cases. Suspicions were rarely acted on”.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/irish-priest-admits-abusing-100-kids/story-e6frf7lf-1225804606586



Nell McCafferty rips into representatives of the Catholic church, asking, "What's holy about the Vatican?" and insisting that they ought to set aside the titles of "Father" and "Grace" and so forth, because they've betrayed them.

Temple Tantrum!, Jesus Style

In Sunday school I remember learing the story from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) where Jesus goes into the temple to "drive out the moneylenders", and he "overturned their tables" because he was furious that people were using the "House of God" as a place to make money. From these three Synoptic Gospels I remember getting the idea that Jesus was just making a calm, but forceful point. But how does the less taught non-Synoptic Gospel of John differ?

John 2:12-15
"After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;"


"Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple" by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1626

Wiki: A scourge (from Italian scoriada, from Latin excoriare = "to flay" and corium = "skin") is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification on the back.


So jesus took the time to make a special whip that is intended to be used on humans, not animals, and it's purpose is to inflict as much pain as possible (remember the scene where Jesus took a serious beating in "The Passion of the Christ...that was a scourge). He didn't just slap some money changers in the heat of the moment, he actually made a weapon, then took it to the temple like the verse says. And this is the "prince of peace"?

This doesn't seem like the rational actions that an "all knowing, all powerful, all loving" god would take. Jesus should rethink his tactics before a madman follower, hellbent on world domination uses this passage to his advantage. Shit! To late, Hitler is a fan of Jesus' 1,189 chapter book, especially this passage where Jesus is using violence to run out the moneylenders (Jews).

"My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison. To-day, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before the fact that it was for this that He had to shed His blood upon the Cross. As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice... And if there is anything which could demonstrate that we are acting rightly it is the distress that daily grows. For as a Christian I have also a duty to my own people."
- Adolf Hitler, in a speech delivered April 12, 1922, Published in "My New Order"

Author Sam Harris on the Credibility of Miracle Stories

Sam Harris is a neuroscientist and the author of the international bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. This clip of his debate is taken from the Re-Evolution Festival 2009 in Mexico that took place Nov. 8th 2009.

Sorry about the bad audio

To The Biblical God, Bats Are Just Unclean Birds

"You may eat any clean bird. But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat." Deuteronomy 14:11-18

Why Do Atheists Care About Religion?

How does religion impinge upon each American's rights? This video shows the ridiculous, backwards and utterly nonsensical laws that control our lives because of someone's religious beliefs.

Westboro Baptist Church to Protest Fort Hood Memorial Service Today

As if protesting Sasha and Malia Obama's elementary school yesterday wasn't bad enough, Westboro plans to protest the Memorial Service for the victims of the shooting rampage that took place last week at Fort Hood. Here is the schedule for the protest on the Westboro GodHatesFags.com site. I don't need to comment on it, this insane rambling speaks for itself:

11/10/2009, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Killeen, TX
Ft. Hood Rebel Memorial - God hates your solemn assemblies! S. Fort Hood St. & US 190 W WBC members came and spoke words of peace to these brutish, demon-possessed brute military mutts. The Beast will come and speak smooth lies to you. He will tell you that if you will just listen to him and ignore God's servants, and serve him and his policy that he will bring you peace, and no more of these great dramatic, traumatic slaughterings will happen. And you are so arrogant, evil, rebellious and stupid - you will believe and follow him. You believe because you have a lot of numbers, that makes you mighty. And you believe, stupidly, that if you have might, that makes you right. Those concepts are the exact opposite of the truth of God. You silly rebels! God looked upon your solemn assemblies and chose the exact right tool to deal with you raging, good-for-nothing criminals. He chose one of your own, a General, a Psychiatrist, and a Muslim. How absolutely appropriate! He chose that vessel to punish you all, including the demon-possessed fool with the guns. Now, God is mocking you. Who else is going to tell you these words of truth at your time of extreme trauma? Only your friends at WBC: God Sent the Shooter. Thank God for the Killer, and repent of your evil. However, we know (from God's own words) that you will NOT repent. That fact does not change one thing about our duty to you, or your duty to your neighbours. Revelation 9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. DOOMED america is not receiving blessings, any more from God. Only curses, all day, every day. Praise that God all ye people. AMEN!

http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html

Westboro Baptist Church Protests Outside Obama Girls' School

Westboro Baptist Church, the fringe-of-the-fringe anti-gay group famous for protesting at military funerals and claiming that God is punishing the country for its tolerance of homosexuality, was spotted yesterday morning protesting outside Sidwell Friends, the school attended by Sasha and Malia Obama.

Protesters were carrying signs with anti-gay, anti-abortion and anti-Obama slogans, slowing down traffic all along Wisconsin Avenue yesterday morning.

This is the actual protest schedule that is posted on the Westboro GodHatesFags.com site:

11/10/2009, 1:55 PM - 2:30 PM, Bethesda, MD
Sidwell Friends Lower School - Littles, run from liars, NOW! 5100 Edgemoor Ln More for the little nasty God-hating Quakers. You will NOT be able to get away from these words by that bloody-handed Antichrist Obama. They will hang around your hypocritical necks for all of eternity. You had a duty to know God's standard. You had a duty to keep that standard. You had a duty to know what manner of creature(s) you are taking money from. You had a duty to know all about these same things that WBC has told you and will tell you. "Look, I've got two daughters. Nine years old and six years old. I'm gonna teach them first of all about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. . ." - The Beast Antichrist Barack Hussein Obama. Those words will burn you all, for all eternity. Shame on you all. Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Praise God! AMEN!

http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html

Stay classy Westboro!

The Upside of a Religous Upbringing

Sex columnist Dan Savage explains the benefits of having a religious upbringing.

Jack White's Record Label Releasing Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking Remix

Jack White's label, Third Man Records, has just announced plans to release 'A Glorious Dawn,' composer John Boswell's "musical tribute to two great men of science" -- astronomer Carl Sagan and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking -- on vinyl.

The Auto-Tuned remix takes Sagan's dialogue from his 'Cosmos' TV series with a special appearance by Hawking that will surely make every science nerd jump with glee. According to Third Man Records, "'A Glorious Dawn' is a moving arrangement of Carl Sagan's sagacious words culled from his magnificent 'Cosmos' series. The piece initially gained recognition when composer John Boswell uploaded to YouTube his remixed Sagan dialogue edited, Auto-Tuned and put to a beat and coupled with a guest appearance by Stephen Hawking. At well over one million views, this is a project that goes far-beyond the buzz of 'Internet phenomenon.'"
http://www.spinner.com/2009/11/04/jack-whites-label-releasing-carl-sagan-and-stephen-hawking-remi/

I like this one better. "We Are All Connected" featuring Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Feynman, and Bill Nye. All four are heroes of science and reason.

Happy Carl Sagan Day!

Today is Carl Sagan Day — I think that means you are officially expected to be filled with awe of the cosmos all day long, while also being thoroughly skeptical of the supernatural. Sagan Day should be every day, not just today! Take a few minutes out of your day and watch these two short Sagan videos. Both are Sagan reading from his amazing book "The Pale Blue Dot".

"Miracles": Then and Now

Iraqi-American Woman Run Over By Her Father For Being “Westernized” Dies

PHOENIX - A young Iraqi woman whose father allegedly hit her with his car because she had become too Westernized died from her injuries Monday after laying in a coma for nearly two weeks.

Noor Faleh Almaleki, 20, underwent spinal surgery and had been in a hospital since Oct. 20, when police say her father ran down her and her boyfriend's mother with his Jeep as the women were walking across a parking lot in the west Phoenix suburb of Peoria.

The other woman, Amal Khalaf, is expected to survive.

Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, fled after the attack but was arrested Thursday when he arrived at Atlanta's airport, where he was sent from the United Kingdom after authorities denied him entrance.

Peoria police interviewed him and brought him back to Arizona over the weekend, but have declined to release what Almaleki said to them.

At a court hearing over the weekend in Phoenix, county prosecutor Stephanie Low told a judge that Almaleki admitted to committing the crime.

"By his own admission, this was an intentional act and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family," Low said. "This was an attempt at an honor killing."

Family members had told police that Almaleki attacked his daughter because he believed she had become too Westernized and was not living according to his traditional Iraqi values.

Almaleki, wearing a jail uniform, said only his name and birth date during the hearing. He has declined requests to be interviewed.

Almaleki had faced charges of aggravated assault, but Peoria police spokesman Mike Tellef said the charges will be upgraded in light of Noor Faleh Almaleki's death.

Police said the Almalekis moved to Peoria from Iraq in the mid-1990s.

Almaleki needs to be charged with murder, not aggravated assault. He moved his family to America then killed his daughter for acting like a typical young American woman.

The physicist Steven Weinberg said that regardless of religion you will have "good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things." However, "for good people to do evil things, it takes religion." I think that quote sums up stories like this very well.

Hotel Bibles Beware of Sir Ian McKellen!

In an interview with Details magazine the openly gay Lord of the Rings star says he tears out a section of Leviticus, which condemns homosexuality, whenever he finds the good book in hotel suites - and his small-scale vandalism has inspired others to do the same.

Details: Is it true that when you stay at hotels you tear out the Bible page that condemns homosexuality?

Ian McKellen: I do, absolutely. I'm not proudly defacing the book, but it's a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible. And I'm not really the first: I got delivered a package of 40 of those pages—Leviticus 18:22—that had been torn out by a married couple I know. They put them on a bit of string so that I could hang it up in the bathroom.

This would be great if it really caught on! Just think if these groups of people staying at hotels ripped out the parts of the bible that said that they were an abomination or that they just weren't as good as everyone else. The hotel bibles would end up looking like the coupon section in a penny pinchers newspaper.

The Blind, Handicapped, and Midgets - It wasn't their fault but they cannot approach the altar of god. Leviticus 21:17-23

The Fashion Concious - Don't wear wool/linen blend clothing. Deuteronomy 22:11

Glam Rock Bands with their Long Hair and the lineup at Lilith Fair with their Short Hair - 1 Corinthians 11:14-15

Anyone Working on a Second Marriage - Luke 16:18

Menstruating Women - Leviticus 15:19:30 and Leviticus 20:18

Rich People Staying at Swanky Hotels - Matthew 19:23-24 and Mark 10:23-25

Fans of Red Lobster - Leviticus 11:9-12 and Deuteronomy 14:9-10

Women Who Don't Like Being Subservient Pushovers to their Husbands - 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15

Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network Warns Americans Of ‘Demonic’ Halloween Candy

Keep an eye out for 'demonic' Sponge Bobs munching on 'cursed' kit-kats tonight!

“Most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches,” Daniels wrote. “I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”

Daniels goes on to say...

“Halloween is much more than a holiday filled with fun and tricks or treats,” she wrote. “It is a time for the gathering of evil that masquerades behind the fictitious characters of Dracula, werewolves, mummies and witches on brooms. The truth is that these demons that have been presented as scary cartoons actually exist. I have prayed for witches who are addicted to drinking blood and howling at the moon.”

How Much Coin is Your Child Worth?

God defines the value of human life in dollars and cents. Of course, to God, females are worth considerably less than males (50 - 60%) - but neither are worth much.

Males (20 - 60 years old) are worth 50 shekels.

Females are worth 30.

Males (5 - 20 years old) are worth 20 shekels.

Females are worth 10.

Males (one month - 5 years old) are worth 5 shekels.

Females are worth 3.

And babies (or fetuses) less than one month old are worth nothing at all.

Leviticus 27:3-7

"And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels."

I can't wait for my baby daughter to turn one month old in a few weeks so she can finally be worth something, even if it is only a fraction of what her little nephews are worth.

8: The Mormon Proposition (Trailer)

This documentary is about Proposition 8 and the banning of gay marriage in California. Even more, it's about the Mormons and the Mormon church that dumped millions of dollars into taking away peoples' rights.

Official Website - http://www.mormonproposition.com/

Godless Comedy from That Mitchell and Webb Look - Abraham and Isaac

Philip Spooner Speaks Out for Gay Marriage "what do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?"

The Marriage Equality Bill that was voted on in Maine happened in early May of this year, and it passed 89-58 in favor to approve marriage equality and allow same sex marriage. The passing of this bill made Maine the fifth state to allow gay marriage...but not without a fight from the Catholic church. Even though this is a story that is five months old and one that was won by the rational side I had to post this video:

Philip Spooner, spoke from his heart to the state legislature in Maine to stand up for gay marriage and equality for all under the law.

If you have a heart, get a tissue.

Are you a creepy elderly virgin who enjoys the company of little boys? -----> You Should be a Catholic Priest

Oprah Visits Denmark and Speaks to Some Happy Female Atheists

The atheists were Danish women in Copenhagen. They talked about the system of government, economy, social services, and so on. And at one point Oprah said "I heard you claim to be happier because you are not involved in religion" or words to that effect.

Oprah was displaying for her viewing audience, and herself, how things work in a country that is far, far more "civilized" than the US.

I guess the point of the show was to examine "the happiest people in the world" ... The Danes... And it turns out that they are less materialistic, more family- and children-focused, have a full range of fully funded public services, minimal difference in wealth between the richest and poorest, a progressive tax system that rewards following a career that suits you rather than one that makes more money, and atheism.

Prophecy Fail

That's a bit like a "psychic" getting hit by a bus.

State Constitutions That Discriminate Against Atheists

The United States Constitution

Article VI.
Clause 3
"... but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Amendment I
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"

Texas Article 1 Section 4:

“No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.”

North Carolina Article 6 Section 8:

"Disqualifications of office. The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God."

Arkansas Article 19 Section 1:

“No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court.”

It's not just the South...

Maryland Article 37:

"That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God;"

Pennsylvania Article 1 Section 4:

"No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth."

According to these states backwards and bigoted constitutions, the following godless Americans could not hold public office if they ran today:

George Washington

Benjamin Franklin

Thomas Paine

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

John Adams

Abraham Lincoln

Here is a list of godless quotes from our Founding Fathers

http://freethought.mbdojo.com/foundingfathers.html