(Shaking head..)

 

 

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/28/sex-abuse-religion-vatican

Thanks for the email Caleb.  I will let our visitors comment.

 

The fart of god?  Really?  Silly religious people..

Creation

A British film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer.

Creation, starring Paul Bettany, details Darwin's "struggle between faith and reason" as he wrote On The Origin of Species. It depicts him as a man who loses faith in God following the death of his beloved 10-year-old daughter, Annie.

The film was chosen to open the Toronto Film Festival and has its British premiere on Sunday. It has been sold in almost every territory around the world, from Australia to Scandinavia.

However, US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.

Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.

The film has sparked fierce debate on US Christian websites, with a typical comment dismissing evolution as "a silly theory with a serious lack of evidence to support it despite over a century of trying".

Jeremy Thomas, the Oscar-winning producer of Creation, said he was astonished that such attitudes exist 150 years after On The Origin of Species was published.

"That's what we're up against. In 2009. It's amazing," he said.

"The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they've seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up.

"It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There's still a great belief that He made the world in six days. It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules.

"Charles Darwin is, I suppose, the hero of the film. But we tried to make the film in a very even-handed way. Darwin wasn't saying 'kill all religion', he never said such a thing, but he is a totem for people."

Creation was developed by BBC Films and the UK Film Council, and stars Bettany's real-life wife Jennifer Connelly as Darwin's deeply religious wife, Emma. It is based on the book, Annie's Box, by Darwin's great-great-grandson, Randal Keynes, and portrays the naturalist as a family man tormented by the death in 1851 of Annie, his favourite child. She is played in the film by 10-year-old newcomer Martha West, the daughter of The Wire star Dominic West.

Early reviews have raved about the film. The Hollywood Reporter said: "It would be a great shame if those with religious convictions spurned the film out of hand as they will find it even-handed and wise."

Mr Thomas, whose previous films include The Last Emperor and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, said he hoped the reviews would help to secure a distributor. In the UK, special screenings have been set up for Christian groups.

 

Click here to watch the trailer.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6173399/Charles-Darwin-film-too-controversial-for-religious-America.html

 

This is becoming way to common..

 

(Forsyth, MO) -- The former director of Kanakuk Christian Camps was charged Monday with four counts of sex crimes involving children under the age of 15.

Peter Daniel Newman, 33, is charged with two counts of sexual misconduct, statutory sodomy and enticement of a child.   (read the court documents in this case here)

The charges accuse Newman of criminal sexual conduct with male campers at Kanakuk Kamps in Branson between 1999 through 2009. 


Court documents say Joe White, the owner of Kanakuk Kamps, fired Newman June 8 of this year.   A posting on the camp's blog in June said, "Pete Newman is no longer with Kanakuk Kamps. He is dealing with a personal family crisis. He has asked that you respect his privacy and not contact him or his family, but that you keep him in your prayers."
Investigators say boys who attended the camp said Newman had sleepovers, held Bible studies in his hot tub where some of the sexual contact occurred, and coaxed them into sexual acts.

A warrant for Newman's arrest was issued today,  (9/15/09) according to court records.

Kanakuk Kamps were founded in 1926 and has locations in Branson and Lampe, Missouri.

 

Source: http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=185982

Wonder if they have found her body yet..

 

Found a very inspiring article on the Black Sun Journal.  Please read. 

 

This summer, two of my closest college friends and their 12-year-old daughter came for a visit. I hadn’t seen them in a decade. These guys, (at least, prior to the birth of their daughter) were atheists back when I was still unsure of my own stance. Although I called myself agnostic, I leaned toward a mystical world view. At that time I thought they just didn’t “get it”. I could tell they thought the same of me. But, there was enough mutuality in other areas to make humoring one another easy enough. Now, I was stoked because we were finally “on the same page”, and I was eager to talk about it.

Then it dawned on me that with a 12-year-old in tow, we probably wouldn’t be able to get into the political and philosophical implications of the subject, at least not in the length and breadth I had been fantasizing about. After all, young Megan was going to be surrounded by adults for the duration of the several week trip, and the least I could do was have some sensitivity to that. I remember what it was like to be invisible in a room full of adults, and I wasn’t about to put her through that. Little did I know…

This 12-year-old floored me on many levels. Not only did she have a facility with language, there was a sophistication to her thinking I certainly had not anticipated. She jumped into political and philosophical conversations with greater ease and fluency than many adults–even if her knowledge of the subject was at times somewhat spotty–and in need of refinement. She was trying, and in many places she truly held her own.

Still, I wasn’t so sure about broaching the subject of religion. What if my friends modified their views since becoming parents? We all know that happens. How had they oriented their child? Besides, I thought to myself, Megan would probably appreciate it if we just had some fun, and weren’t so heady about everything.

NOT.

Out of the blue, with absolutely no hint of religion in our conversation, Megan started talking about how she had recently been discriminated against at school for being an atheist. My jaw dropped. Here was the one thing I really wanted to talk about with her parents, and she opened the door wider than I had hoped! A 12-year-old speaking out as an atheist? I dove in with questions, and she was more than eager to speak out.

So with no further ado, I give you BSJ’s first young atheist, Megan H.

Morgaine: Welcome Megan! Tell us a little about who you are, how old you are, and your interests.

Megan: Hi! My name is Megan. I’m 12 years old. I like to write, read and play video games. I’m in a gifted and talented program for exceptional learners and, of course, an atheist.

Morgaine: What does atheism mean to you?

Megan: Atheism to me means the disbelief in any and all religious practice and the disbelief in intelligent creation or god. I do not believe in god or any other form of intelligent creation.

Morgaine: Would your mom and dad describe themselves as atheists?

Megan: I believe so. They have talked with me and referred to themselves as atheists.

Morgaine: Lets go back a little. At what age did the idea of religion/god become interesting or relevant for you? Was there a specific event that caused you to wonder about god or religion, or did questions arise spontaneously?

Megan: If I remember correctly, I was about 8 years old. I think I was talking with a girl in my lunch period. I asked why I was the only person who wasn’t invited to her party. She said only people her parents knew from church were asked. That night I asked my dad why we didn’t go to church. He told me that our family didn’t believe in a god and questions took off from there.

Morgaine: Did what your parents said make sense to you? What about it appealed to you?

Megan: They told me that they didn’t know why they should pray to a thing they can’t be sure of. They also said that they don’t think that god could exist and if it does it would be too busy to care if we prayed. I thought this made sense. It seemed very logical.

Morgaine: A few years have past since your first conversations and thoughts on the subject. Are your views the same or different than your parents? If different, how so?

Megan: I think that they are very similar. The only difference may be that we see highly religious people differently, but we agree it does not apply unless the other person wants it to.

Morgaine: Hypothetically, if your views were to change, how do you think your parents would respond? Say, if you told them you wanted to explore going to church, how would they react?

Megan: I don’t believe they would care. We actually talk about this a lot. That if I wanted to go to church, they would get me there, but would not participate any more than that.

Morgaine: Do questions of religion come up between you and your friends?

Megan: Not normally, no.

Morgaine: Do any of your friends share thoughts about religion that are similar to yours?

Megan: Yes, only one and he is my closest friend.

Morgaine: How about this friend’s parents…do they share the same view?

Megan: Yes. My friend’s parents do not believe in god.

Morgaine: Do you feel you are missing out on anything by not having a connection to a religious community?

Megan: Not really, though I do receive some ridicule.

Morgaine: So your views have affected friendships with those who are religious. Do you think the ridicule is a result of misunderstanding what it means to hold an atheist world view?

Megan: Yes. One of my friends refuses to bring the topic up. But most kids either push me away, or their parents do. Many people believe that the word atheist and satanist co-exist.

Morgaine: What would you like to them to know?

Megan: They don’t [co-exist]. I don’t believe in religion in general. I do not worship [god or] the devil.

Morgaine: You told me some stories about how identifying as an atheist caused some difficulties for you specifically at school. Tell us about that, and your response to it.

Megan: Yes. Somehow students discovered my beliefs or lack thereof, and treat me like a freak of nature, or devil. I have lost popularity, and feel that students pick on me in other ways because of the topic. It has caused depression.

Morgaine: I’m sorry to hear that. It’s never easy to hold a minority view especially on such a loaded topic as religion, and especially being so young. I think it’s very courageous. How do you deal with the discrimination and depression you’ve experienced?

Megan: I tell myself that the insults like devil or satan are all words that are used in religion. If I don’t believe them they don’t matter.

Morgaine: Has your school been responsive to kids picking on you? If not, what do you think should change?

Megan: No [they weren't responsive]. I think that ANY BULLYING is wrong and must be dealt with.

Morgaine: Have you had other experiences of discrimination like this at school or elsewhere?

Megan: In 5th grade a girl discovered my atheism and did every thing in her power to hurt me or change me.

Morgaine: Why do you think people lean toward a religious view of life?

Megan: Because it is comforting to think that when you die you will go somewhere and have a purpose. Also if you have been wronged, then maybe that person will be punished.

Morgaine: Religious people often ask how someone can find meaning in life without belief in God…that the wonders of the world aren’t sufficient to satisfy them. What would you say to that? What gives your life meaning?

Megan: The meaning of life can not be decided after death, in my opinion. I think the meaning of life is decided by the person living it–not some being that they don’t know. I push on by knowing that I will finish my book and become a doctor.

Morgaine: Do you see any dangers in religious thinking? Dangers to an individual? Dangers to the world at large? And do you see any benefits?

Megan: I think that religion will cause history to repeat itself. As long as there are different beliefs, people will fight and kill for power.

Morgaine: Some people say you can’t be moral or ethical without religion. What would you say to that?

Megan: No, religious people have started wars over it. If they call mass killing good ethics then I don’t know what to think.

Morgaine: What would you like to say to other young people who may struggling with issues around religion, who may be torn between what their parents say to believe and their own doubts?

Megan: Talk to them. If your parents really don’t want you to believe that way then get on with it. Go to church with them. Think of it as story…a fabulous fairytale. You don’t have to believe it. No one can make you do that.

Morgaine: Any other thoughts on religion, or atheism, that you’d like to share?

Megan: I don’t want any one to feel that they have to change. Just keep these thoughts in mind.

Morgaine: Thank you very much sharing your thoughts and time.

Megan: You’re welcome!

Although Megan is busy with school and her projects, she’d be happy to answer any questions, time permitting of course!

 

 

When did you realized you were an atheist?  

 Source: http://www.blacksunjournal.com/psychology/1127_refusing-to-hide-dialogue-with-a-12-year-old-atheist_2007.html

Well, it's certainly been a while since I've stumbled across something that made my brain hurt bad enough to consider shaking my fist at it. Unfortunately, today I have. It also turns out that one can be part of the secular crowd and still be - for lack of a better word - stupid. "How stupid," one may ask. Well, as stupid as getting up in front of a crowd and having another idiot blow dry away your Christianity. This is the sacred ceremony known as debaptism. Please understand me now, celebrating one's freedom is healthly, even fun. But dressing up in a robe and holding rites of passage seems almost exactly what we're all escaping from. Some, like Gary Mueller, have even mailed the certificate to the churches that performed the original baptisms. "I'm friends with so-and-so now and not you!" says the milk-mustached grade schooler.

Truely though, not all of these people are taking him seriously. Those that are merely in it for the parody simply don't understand. Professor Laurence Stookey of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington sets the record straight. De-baptizers misunderstand baptism when they caricature it as an attempt at magic. Baptism is a kind of adoption where you become a child of God, of the church and of the family. You can renounce your physical parents, (the church and God), but they cannot renounce you because you are their child. Anybody who makes fun of baptism probably hasn't gone into it in enough depth to know that."

For the record, I don't exactly agree with baptising children, enlisting them before they have a voice. But it's not like it actually means anything. My baptism still stands and always will, simply because the catholic church wants it to. Though I believed for several tortured years, I've never actually practiced any religion; and I'm not going to start now with a kooky debaptism.

If you'd like to read more on this subject, click here for the source.

 

Stumbled across a very good article on Greta Christina's Blog.

Excerpt:

"I want to talk about atheists and anger. This has been a hard piece to write, and it may be a hard one to read. I'm not going to be as polite and good-tempered as I usually am in this blog; this piece is about anger, and for once I'm going to fucking well let myself be angry.  But I think it's important. One of the most common criticisms lobbed at the newly-vocal atheist community is, "Why do you have to be so angry?" So I want to talk about:

1. Why atheists are angry;

2. Why our anger is valid, valuable, and necessary;

And 3. Why it's completely fucked-up to try to take our anger away from us."

....

"I'm angry that atheist soldiers -- in the U.S. armed forces -- have had prayer ceremonies pressured on them and atheist meetings broken up by Christian superior officers, in direct violation of the First Amendment."

....

"I'm angry that women are dying of AIDS in Africa and South America because the Catholic Church has convinced them that using condoms makes baby Jesus cry."

....

"I'm angry about what happened to Galileo. Still. And I'm angry that it took the Catholic Church until 1992 to apologize for it."

....

"I'm angry -- enraged -- at the priests who molest children and tell them it's God's will. I'm enraged at the Catholic Church that consciously, deliberately, repeatedly, for years, acted to protect priests who molested children, and consciously and deliberately acted to keep it a secret, placing the Church's reputation as a higher priority than, for fuck's sake, children not being molested. And I'm enraged that the Church is now trying to argue, in court, that protecting child-molesting priests from prosecution, and shuffling those priests from diocese to diocese so they can molest kids in a whole new community that doesn't yet suspect them, is a Constitutionally protected form of free religious expression."

 

Rad the full article here.  

Source: http://gretachristina.typepad.com

 

 

 

Where is the missing link between the missing links, ask creationists

Creationist organisations all over the world have claimed that the preserved remains of a 47-million-year-old, lemur-like creature were put there by the baby Jesus and do not in fact represent a “missing link” in human evolution.

The fossil, nicknamed Ida, is claimed by many anthropologists to be a “missing link” between today’s higher primates - monkeys, apes and humans - and more distant relatives.

However, religious organisations have been quick to point out that it is much more likely that the baby Jesus snuck his way back to Earth and hid it there to test the faith of his followers.

“You expect us to believe that this thing is 47 million years old?  Ridiculous!” said a spokesman from The Institute for Creationist Research.

“I had a dead rabbit that disintegrated into nothing in less than a year, and you think this survived - completely intact - for millions of years?”

“Sometime you science people are so gullible.”

Missing Link

With many human-like features such as an opposable thumb, and nails instead of claws, Ida is seen as a vital evidential part in the process of hominid evolution, a claim refuted by creationists.

“Look, where is the missing link between this species and the last missing link you claimed to find?”

“Even if you found that one there would then be a missing link between the new missing link and the older missing link.”

“They’re called ‘missing’ links for a reason.  Duh.”

“It makes significantly more sense that a magic man in the sky made us all as we are today, and then hid these little confusing skeletons all over the planet to keep us on our toes.”

 Source: http://newsarse.com/2009/05/where-is-the-missing-link-between-the-missing-links-ask-creationists/