House Votes Down Amendment Allowing Non-religious Military Chaplains, but 150 Democrats Voted for It

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) put forth an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would allow for non-religious military chaplains:

The Secretary of Defense shall provide for the appointment, as officers in the Chaplain Corps of the Armed Forces, of persons who are certified or ordained by non-theistic organizations and institutions, such as humanist, ethical culturalist, or atheist.

Republicans (and some Democrats) in the House Armed Services Committee voted against the amendment 43-18 so it didn’t leave the committee.

That didn’t mean the end of the legislation, though. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) tried to get the amendment through without the support of the Committee:

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I’m Just Like a Hollywood Actor!

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute can’t believe that the Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 school board voted 6-1 to overturn the ban on The Perks of Being a Wallflower earlier this week, so she’s griping about how kids reading things she finds indecent is bad for society and how teachers who encourage students to read these challenging books are political activists “masquerading as ‘educators’” and how the sky is falling.

She doesn’t like the “stronger” parental notification compromise, either, where the note that goes home to parents each year will explain that students may choose to read books with “mature content” but parents have a right to say no to those selections:

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If Christians Want to Pray During Their Graduation Speeches, They Should Read the Bible First

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Alise Wright.

***

The most famous example of this year’s list of Christian students being unashamed of their faith was South Carolina student Roy Costner IV. The Pickens County School Board had banned prayers in the graduation speeches and he had written one that had been approved by the board. But after speaking with his pastor, he approached the podium, ripped up his speech, and recited the Lord’s Prayer.

He said it presumably to show his faithfulness to his Christian values that his parents instilled in him and that his pastor encouraged him to display.

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Filed Under: Education, FFRF, General Leave a Comment

Public School Superintendent Tells Graduating Students to Live Up to God’s Expectations

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Is there anyone who doesn’t abuse his or her position at graduation ceremonies anymore? Already this spring, we’ve seen student speakers and teachers use their power to promote prayer, and now we have a superintendent doing it, too.

Earlier this month, Superintendent Damian LaCroix of the Howard-Suamico School District in Green Bay, Wisconsion spoke at the commencement ceremony for Bay Port High School and used his time to encourage parents in the audience to pray, pray, and pray, and told students to be the people God wants them to be.

You can hear the full speech beginning at the 1:27:04 mark of the video below:

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Pew Study Shows That 48% of LGBT Adults Are Non-Religious

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

A new survey of LGBT adults by the Pew Research Center reveals a lot about the intersection of homosexuality and religion.

Let’s run through the data (PDF):

When it comes to the religious beliefs of LGBT adults, 48% are non-religious and as astonishing 17% of them are atheists or agnostics:

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The Christian Alphabet

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I knew Christians had their own language, but I didn’t know they had their own alphabet, too:

I take issue with the word for the letter X…

Oh. And the whole childhood indoctrination thing, too. Can’t forget that.

(via Christian Nightmares)

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Catherine Dunphy Speaks About Pastors Who Lose Their Faith

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Catherine Dunphy, Executive Director of The Clergy Project, recently appeared on State of Belief, a radio show hosted by Rev. Welton Gaddy of the Interfaith Alliance. The interview is short, but full of good information about pastors who lose their faith and need a way out of the church.

In particular, I would draw your attention to this exchange near the end:

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Russian Parliament Passes Bills to Punish Those Who Offend ‘Religious Feelings’ or Promote Homosexuality

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Russia’s lower house of Parliament this week passed two bills condemned by Amnesty International for stifling fundamental human rights, including the right to free expression.

First off, the State Duma passed a bill outlawing actions perceived as “offending religious feelings.” That’s right: if your behavior offends a person of faith, you could do jail time:

The bill stipulated that “public actions expressing clear disrespect for society and committed with the goal of offending religious feelings of the faithful” would be punishable with jail terms of up to three years in prison as well as fines of up to AU$9700. … Public desecration of religious objects or books are also punishable by fines of up to AU$6500.

The government won’t hesitate to admit what sparked such a specific bill: the feminist performance group Pussy Riot‘s infamous public performances from last year, which openly denounced the Russian government and landed the band members in jail. Apparently Russia’s still mad about that one:

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The Parable of the Terrible Father

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Kiel Christianson.

***

Once there was an extremely wealthy man who had one son. This man’s wealth was seemingly without limits, and his love for his son was said to be boundless. The son’s mother had died in childbirth, so the father was the sole parent and guardian of his son.

The wealthy man promised all his wealth would be endowed to his son, as long as the boy did what he was instructed to do throughout his life. He told the boy to take care of his home, to keep it clean and tidy. The father told him to watch over their neighborhood and help protect his neighbors. He told him to work hard and maintain the integrity and profitability of the family business, from which all their immense wealth derived.

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Religion Doesn’t Make You a Better Person

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

David Hayward lays to waste the stereotype that you have to believe in God to be good:

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FFRF Loses Challenge to Stop Arizona Day of Prayer… Again

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In January of 2012, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sued Arizona Governor Jan Brewer in order to stop her from holding another Day of Prayer (PDF).

The FFRF, along with several members from the state, sued on principle — saying that the Day of Prayer was unconstitutional — instead of arguing that it “harmed” any of the plaintiffs… but that may have been their undoing. Last August, a court in Arizona threw out their lawsuit saying the plaintiffs didn’t have “standing” to sue to government:

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Filed Under: FFRF, General, Lawsuits, Politics Leave a Comment

Southern Baptists Vote to Cut Ties Over Boy Scouts’ New Policy Allowing in Gay Scouts

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Ever since the Boy Scouts of America voted to partially rescind its discriminatory policy and allow gay youth into the organization, things have been rocky between scouting troops and the churches that often sponsor them.

In the latest turn of events, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution Wednesday “expressing its disappointment” in the BSA’s new policy — and throwing their support behind churches that decide to drop their ties to the Boy Scouts as a result:

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Well, If You Define ‘Myth’ That Way…

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

That’s slide one of the Creationist Zoo Keeper. You’ll want to read the rest of it here for the kicker :)

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Former Pastor Jerry DeWitt Will Host an Atheist Church Service in Louisiana

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

If I lived in Louisiana, I’d be clearing this day on my schedule: Former Pastor Jerry DeWitt will be hosting the state’s first-ever “Secular Service” with a theme of “Joie De Vivre: To Delight In Being Alive”:

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