Stardust Musings and Thoughts for the Freethinker

It's a MIracle!

2012-01-02T12:43:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T12:38:00.000-06:00

First of all , I want to say Happy New Year and hope that 2012 is a good one for each and every one of you. Thank you for coming here to read and for comments which contribute to our debates and discussions.

Another year is over, and a new one begins, and it is yet another election year with the Religious ~~Wrong~~ Right pushing even harder than ever to get control of the reins of White House.

Simon Brown from American Atheist writes:

From the halls of Congress, where the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly urged public schools to post “In God We Trust” displays in classrooms, to the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., that was attended by 3,000 fundamentalist Christian activists, the Religious Right’s influence loomed large.
Since 2012 is an election year, we expect the Religious Right to use this growing influence to wage an all-out war to shape the U.S. government into a body that will do its bidding.

Here are 10 of the biggest challenges, issues and concerns that Americans United is expecting to confront in the coming twelve months

Improper Involvement of Religion in the 2012 Elections

Religion has infiltrated the run-up to the 2012 elections on an unprecedented level. Virtually all of the Republican presidential candidates have spent considerable time courting votes from the Religious Right. Nearly all of the major contenders spoke at the Values Voter Summit, and most of those candidates also appeared at a forum in November focusing on “questions of the soul” that was held at a fundamentalist church in Iowa.
The Religious Right is also making a serious push to pick the Republican candidate for president. The Alliance Defense Fund held its annual “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” in October, an event designed to encourage churches to engage in illegal campaign intervention. Last year’s version featured a record number of participants, and activists assume that even more will join in fray in 2012. The Religious Right is also planning to hold voter turnout drives and distribute “voter guides” that pretend to be unbiased but are not.
Religious Right strategists dream of forging fundamentalist and evangelical churches into a disciplined voting bloc to effectively dominate the democratic process.
Sadly, the presidential campaign has already included expressions of religious bigotry. Influential Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress said in October that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is Mormon, is a member of a cult and cited his affiliation as a reason not to support his candidacy.
Critics have also questioned President Barack Obama’s status as a Christian, charging falsely that he is a Muslim or at best an opponent of the Christian faith.
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution forbids religious tests for public office, and church-state separationists regard attacks such as these as a violation of the spirit of that provision.

School Voucher Onslaught in the States and Congress

The Associated Press reported that 30 states explored voucher subsidies for religious and other private schools in 2011, and that number is expected to grow this year. These efforts have been driven by wealthy right-wing organizations, such as the Alliance for School Choice, which advocates for vouchers nationwide and is run by right-wing activist Betsy DeVos. Her organization and its allies provide vast resources and public relations expertise to push for school vouchers in many states.
DeVos has lots of help from the Religious Right and the Roman Catholic hierarchy because parochial schools and fundamentalist academies would be the primary beneficiary of “school choice” programs.
There is an especially sneaky attempt at voucher legislation underway in Florida, where a ballot initiative set to be considered in 2012 would allow the state to give taxpayer money to religious organizations.
Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, president of the Americans United Board of Trustees, is a plaintiff in a case filed by AU and its allies to get the initiative off the ballot. He and others involved in the litigation say the proposed constitutional amendment misleads voters about its true effects.
Voucher bills may come up on the federal level as well. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) railroaded a voucher program for the District of Columbia through Congress in March, so it’s clear Americans United will have to carefully monitor federal legislation as well in 2012.

The Catholic Bishops’ Crusade for ‘Religious Liberty’

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched a formidable new lobbying unit known as the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. The committee claims to be defending religious liberty, but critics say it actually seeks to preserve taxpayer funding for church-affiliated agencies while maintaining overly broad exemptions from various laws.
A representative of this committee testified in October before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution regarding the issue of religious liberty in America and made the case that Catholic-run organizations should be exempt from providing birth control or recognizing same-sex marriages but should still receive government contracts and funds. Republicans on the committee seemed willing to consider this position, but Democrats were very resistant to offering such broad religious exemptions and government money.
The Pew Research Center found that Catholic lobbying organizations are the most powerful among Washington religious lobbies as they comprise 19 percent of all faith lobbying. As a result, the Ad Hoc Committee will certainly be one to watch in 2012.

Improper Religious Proselytizing in Public Schools

Some elements of the Religious Right hate the public school system because it doesn’t allow them to indoctrinate students with their version of Christianity. As a result, they look to add prayer or other religious activities to the school schedule whenever they can.
In Missouri, for example, voters will face a religion amendment on the 2012 ballot that, if passed, would open the door for religious activities on any and all public property, including schools. The proposal is so open-ended that school children might have the right to refuse to do homework on religious grounds.
In Florida, a bill is advancing through the state legislature that would let local school boards allow students to offer prayers at school events. Originally the measure stated that the prayers must be non-sectarian but that language was removed. The legislation has been offered several times before and could pass, although AU’s Florida chapters, the ACLU and the Anti-Defamation League all oppose the measure.
Moreover, the Religious Right is always trying to stack public school curriculum and textbooks with religious material and going on creationism crusades, which observers expect will continue in 2012.

‘Faith-Based’ Funding and Hiring Bias

Despite pleas from Americans United and allies, President Obama has yet to act on his campaign promise to make major civil rights and civil liberties improvements to the Bush “faith-based” initiative. Speaking in Zanesville, Ohio, in 2008, he said, “If you get a federal grant, you can’t use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them – or against the people you hire – on the basis of their religion.”
Americans United has written to Obama asking him to keep his promise, but he has yet to do so. This issue is likely to remain an ongoing concern in 2012.
Related faith-based funding controversies are also likely. For example, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is considering a new rule allowing the use of taxpayer funds for the construction and repair of religious buildings overseas.
AU has submitted comments to USAID urging the agency to withdraw the proposed rule.

Government Promotion of Religious Symbols

In an election year, politicians often look for easy ways to show their religiosity and that has already begun at both the state and federal levels.
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution in November that reaffirmed “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United States and encouraged its display in public schools and other public buildings. The action came even though, as Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) pointed out, no one had suggested that this is not the motto of the United States.
That same month, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), introduced a bill that would order the Secretary of the Interior to add a Franklin Delano Roosevelt prayer to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Roosevelt offered that prayer on D-Day as the United States began the military operation that liberated Europe.
Another religious display issue has arisen in Montana, where a large statue of Jesus erected by the Knights of Columbus sits on national forest land. The U.S. Forest Service had planned to remove the statue, but is facing resistance not only from the Knights but also from U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), who wants to save it.
In Georgia, the state legislature will consider a bill that would require all vehicle license plates to be emblazoned with “In God We Trust” unless drivers pay extra to cover up the message.
As election season heats up this year, it is likely these types of efforts will only increase.

Attacks on Religious Minorities

The Religious Right says frequently that America is a Christian nation (despite ample evidence to the contrary), so anyone who doesn’t share that movement’s belief in its special brand of Christianity is often marginalized.
The best example of attempts by the Religious Right to marginalize minorities is anti-sharia legislation. In 2010, Oklahoma passed the so-called “Save Our State Amendment,” which bars enforcement of Islamic law. It received 70 percent of the vote.
Church-state experts note that the U.S. Constitution already bars government support for religion in most cases, so such legislation is unnecessary.
The law has been challenged in court on the grounds that it singles out Muslims for discrimination. Americans United filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case in May, and it is now before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
While Oklahoma has taken one of the rashest stances in discriminating against Muslims, it is clear that many other elements of the Religious Right would like to see similar laws enforced nationwide and could make a push for that in 2012.

The Marriage War

The Religious Right, along with the Catholic hierarchy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), are out to fashion state marriage policy so it reflects their doctrinal teachings. They are firmly committed to the idea that marriage is between one man and one woman only, and they are fighting in the courts, in the statehouses and in Congress to make sure the law continues to define marriage according to their theology.
The highest profile case is the challenge to California’s 2008 ban on same-sex marriage that is working its way through the federal court system. More than 40 states have already banned same-sex marriage, but the outcome of this case could set a precedent for reversing that trend. The Supreme Court may take up the issue in 2012.
There is also a referendum in the works in North Carolina that could be on the ballot in May and would, if passed, put a ban on gay marriage into the state constitution.
A referendum banning same-sex marriage is also on the November ballot in Minnesota.

‘Personhood’ Amendments Here, There and Everywhere

Multiple states have faced attacks from groups seeking to pass “personhood” amendments, and that trend looks to continue in 2012.
The latest state to consider one of these amendments is Mississippi, which voted it down in November. Had the measure passed, it would have declared fertilized eggs to be people, made abortion illegal in virtually all instances, including cases of rape and incest, and it would have banned some forms of birth control. So broad was the language of the amendment that women who miscarried could have been subjected to criminal investigations.
Keith Mason, co-founder of Personhood USA, which is a sponsor of these amendments, has said that his organization may attempt another shot at a Mississippi ballot initiative and that his organization is pushing for “personhood” amendments on the 2012 ballots in Ohio, Florida, Montana, Oregon, California and Nevada.
Religiously Based Censorship
The Religious Right is always on the lookout for books, movies, artwork and other aspects of culture to ban based on their religious convictions.
In late 2010, Speaker John Boehner and his allies called for the removal of an exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery after they learned that it contains a short video of a crucifix with ants crawling on it, as well as works of art with sexual themes. The museum bent to Boehner’s pressure and removed the video.
In Missouri last summer, a school district banned Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five and Sarah Oeckler’s Twenty Boy Summer because a local professor complained that the books advocate principles that are contrary to the Bible.

These are only a few of the issues we are expected to go up against in the coming year. We can expect to see many similar efforts by the Religious Right in an attempt to get their way and more claims are made that a candidate’s god chose him or her to lead our nation.

AU Executive Director Barry W. Lynn said, “This could be a uniquely challenging year for Americans United, with political candidates claiming God’s endorsement and lawmakers poised to vote on all manner of unconstitutional affronts to the First Amendment.”

This election year, we must remain as vigilant more than ever and not take anything for granted.

Dumbell Nebula

2011-12-27T20:42:00.000-06:00

M27: The Dumbbell Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Snyder (Bill Snyder Photography)

Explanation: The first hint of what will become of our Sun was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, the type of nebula our Sun will produce when nuclear fusion stops in its core. M27 is one of the brightest planetary nebulae on the sky, and can be seen toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula) with binoculars. It takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, shown above in colors emitted by hydrogen and oxygen. Understanding the physics and significance of M27 was well beyond 18th century science. Even today, many things remain mysterious about bipolar planetary nebula like M27, including the physical mechanism that expels a low-mass star's gaseous outer-envelope, leaving an X-ray hot white dwarf.

In Memory of Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-27T20:39:00.002-06:00

Atlantis' Last Approach

2011-07-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

Image Credit: ISS Expedition 28 Crew, NASA

Explanation: For the last time, the US Space Shuttle has approached the International Space Station (ISS). Following a dramatic launch from Cape Canaveral last week that was witnessed by an estimated one million people, Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-135 lifted a small crew to a welcome rendezvous three days ago with the orbiting station. Although NASA is discontinuing the aging shuttle fleet, NASA astronauts in the near future will be able to visit the ISS on Russian space flights. Pictured above, Atlantis rises toward the ISS with its cargo bay doors open, showing a gleaming metallic Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Over 200 kilometers below lie the cool blue waters of planet Earth. The much-anticipated last glide back to Earth for the Space Shuttle is currently scheduled for next Thursday, July 21.

Thousands of hate mail and death threats to atheists in one thread on Faux News

2011-07-30T15:36:00.000-05:00

While some of these threats may just be trolls, there are many god botherers who really believe that atheists are deserving of being killed for our non-belief. I have seen people raised in rational, loving homes turn into gay-phobic, gun-toting, literal Bible-believing crazy ass lunatics who seem like they would love to shoot the people who refuse to have an imaginary friend called God. I have lost count of the number of posts and threads I have read which contain these sentiments from those who call themselves “true Christians.” Some “moderate” Christians in these threads point out that the violence promoters represent only a small minority of so-called Christians who make verbal death threats to non-believers and others who they deem (based on their ancient book of barbaric stories and fables) deserving of harsh punishments and death. But the moderates believe in the same book, and many believe in the same hell and that we are deserving of eternal torment as much as the fundamentalists do.

Here is the article that sparked a recent, very heated FB thread on Fox news' FB page:

FOX News Facebook Page on 9/11 Cross Generates Death Threats Against Atheists

FOX News readers on Facebook started going off after Blair Scott, Communications Director for American Atheists, appeared on America Live with Megyn Kelly. Blair reports that when he returned home from his local FOX station for the interview that his voice mail was full of messages and his inbox had almost 200 hateful messages. “I can always tell when someone from American Atheists is on FOX news, because my Inbox explodes with hate email,” said Blair.
We can talk about the issues about this, but our friend William Hamby has put it well over at the Examiner.

Moderators on FOX News’ Facebook page had been trying diligently to delete the violent threats, but not before they were screen-captured by a diligent American Atheists member named Robert Posey.

Here are the screen captures of the death threats and threat of violence posted against atheists. We have left their screen names in place. If you’re devoted enough to make the death threat then you should be devoted enough to have your name attached to your hatred. How many did FOX News delete before they could be captured? There are over 8,000 comments on their post related to Blair’s appearance on FOX News.

Fox News can hardly keep up with deleting the vitriol. Moderates state that they denounce the death threats and verbal or any violence against atheists and others, however, they still believe we are deserving of some sort of violent repercussions from their imaginary friend….for simply not believing in it/his/her existence. All believers in the God of Abraham learn from a young age that those who hold beliefs different from their own are somehow flawed, evil, to be pitied and “prayed for”. They are taught that there is a place of eternal torment and torture and suffering for us. And by believing such nonsense is one step away from supporting the folks who would have us killed and justified as some sort of “supreme justice”.

These threats are not to be shunned or taken lightly, especially in these times when there are so many “Tea Baggers” and fundamentalist nutjobs working hard to seize control of our democratic society and turn it into an oppressive, hateful, bigoted, unreasonable, theocracy. Just look at the “war” that is going on in our government as of right now. Call me a pessimist, but I have a bad feeling things will only get uglier before they get better.

Fundie watch

2011-06-18T17:34:00.000-05:00

While catching up with recent news in the atheist circuit, I found this article at The Daily Beast and it brings up a good point that Michelle Bachmann is an extreme “true believer” and that makes her very dangerous and her political clout should not be underestimated. While we may find much to laugh about with the likes of Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann, Palin we can assume safely that she is just plain ignorant of many things and her stupid comments are genuine. However, there is a difference with Bachmann…she knows exactly what she is saying and to whom she is saying it. And many people…too many of the radical Christian right love her.

Belief is the key to understanding Michele Bachmann, who announced her presidential candidacy during Monday’s Republican debate. Herimpressive performance, which catapulted her close to the front of the presidential pack, surprised some, who perhaps expected her to be as inarticulate as Sarah Palin, to whom she’s often compared. But in Minnesota, even those who don’t like her politics say she shouldn’t be underestimated. “The fact that she’s not a heavy lifter, the fact that she’s relatively unconcerned about the substance of legislation, does not mean that she’s not crafty, that she’s not intelligent and she’s not fast,” says former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson, a Republican. Her ideological radicalism should not be mistaken for stupidity.
*snip*
On Monday, Bachmann didn’t talk a lot about her religion. She didn’t have to—she knows how to signal it in ways that go right over secular heads. In criticizing Obama’s Libya policy, for example, she said, “We are the head and not the tail.” The phrase comes from Deuteronomy 28:13: “The Lord will make you the head and not the tail.” As Rachel Tabachnick has reported, it’s often used in theocratic circles to explain why Christians have an obligation to rule.
Indeed, no other candidate in the race is so completely a product of the evangelical right as Bachmann; she could easily become the Christian conservative alternative to the comparatively moderate Mormon Mitt Romney. “Michele Bachmann’s a complete package,” says Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition wunderkind who now runs the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “She’s got charisma, she’s got an authentic faith testimony, she’s a proven fighter for conservative values, and she’s well known.” She’s also great at raising money—in the 2010 cycle, she amassed a record-breaking $13.2 million in donations.

And this incident reconstructed in the article shows just how devious she can be:

In April 2005, Pamela Arnold wanted to talk to her state senator, Michele Bachmann, who was then running for Congress. A 46-year-old who worked at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Arnold lived with her partner, the famed Arctic explorer Ann Bancroft, on a farm in Scandia, Minnesota. Bachmann was then leading the fight against gay marriage in the state. She’d recently been in the news for hiding in the bushes to observe a gay rights rally at the Capitol. So when members of the Scandia gay community decided to attend one of Bachmann’s constituent forums, Arnold, wanting to make herself visible to her representative, joined them.

A few dozen people showed up at the town hall for the April 9 event, and Bachmann greeted them warmly. But when, during the question and answer session, the topic turned to gay marriage, Bachmann ended the meeting 20 minutes early and rushed to the bathroom. Hoping to speak to her, Arnold and another middle-aged woman, a former nun, followed her. As Bachmann washed her hands and Arnold looked on, the ex-nun tried to talk to her about theology. Suddenly, after less than a minute, Bachmann let out a shriek. “Help!” she screamed. “Help! I’m being held against my will!”
Arnold, who is just over 5 feet tall, was stunned, and hurried to open the door. Bachmann bolted out and fled, crying, to an SUV outside. Then she called the police, saying, according to the police report, that she was “absolutely terrified and has never been that terrorized before as she had no idea what those two women were going to do to her.” The Washington County attorney, however, declined to press charges, writing in a memo, “It seems clear from the statements given by both women that they simply wanted to discuss certain issues further with Ms. Bachmann.”

This is a dangerous woman who appeals to a group of people who are a threat to our secular government, human rights and freedoms, and anyone who does not adhere to “Christian values.” She is one for us to keep on our fundie watch list.

Biblical irony. . . .

2011-06-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

Endeavor's final launch

2011-06-04T19:00:00.000-05:00

Sad to see the shuttle years end, but excited to see the future of the Constellation program.
Here is the video of Endeavor's last launch.

Another "brilliant" statement from Sarah Palin

2011-06-04T18:48:00.000-05:00

Most or you have probably seen or heard about this by now. This is funny…but on the other hand it’s also disturbing that this woman just won’t shut up and go away, and even more disturbing that there are still those who would vote for her for president.

A Sun Halo Beyond Stockholm

2011-01-18T19:50:00.003-06:00

Click on image to enlarge

Credit & Copyright: Peter Rosén

Explanation: What's happened to the Sun? Sometimes it looks like the Sun is being viewed through a large lens. In the above case, however, there are actually millions of lenses: ice crystals. As water freezes in the upper atmosphere, small, flat, six-sided, ice crystals might be formed. As these crystals flutter to the ground, much time is spent with their faces flat, parallel to the ground. An observer may pass through the same plane as many of the falling ice crystals near sunrise or sunset. During this alignment, each crystal can act like a miniature lens, refracting sunlight into our view and creating phenomena like parhelia, the technical term for sundogs. The above image was taken last year in Stockholm, Sweden. Visible in the image center is the Sun, while two bright sundogs glow prominently from both the left and the right. Also visible is the bright 22 degree halo -- as well as the rarer and much fainter 46 degree halo -- also created by sunlight reflecting off of atmospheric ice crystals.

Now this would be something amazing to see!

2011-01-18T19:46:00.002-06:00

Click on image to enlarge

A Total Eclipse at the End of the World
Credit & Copyright: Fred Bruenjes (moonglow.net)

Explanation: Would you go to the end of the world to see a total eclipse of the Sun? If you did, would you be surprised to find someone else there already? In 2003, the Sun, the Moon, Antarctica, and two photographers all lined up in Antarctica during an unusual total solar eclipse. Even given the extreme location, a group of enthusiastic ecl ipse chasers ventured near the bottom of the world to experience the surreal momentary disappearance of the Sun behind the Moon. One of the treasures collected was the above picture -- a composite of four separate images digitally combined to realistically simulate how the adaptive human eye saw the eclipse. As the image was taken, both the Moon and the Sun peaked together over an Antarctic ridge. In the sudden darkness, the magnificent corona of the Sun became visible around the Moon. Quite by accident, another photographer was caught in one of the images checking his video camera. Visible to his left are an equipment bag and a collapsible chair.

Tucson keeps Westboro Baptist Church protests out of town

2011-01-18T19:38:00.000-06:00

But not without a price... area radio stations made a deal to give Westboro Baptist Church airtime to spew their hateful and insane rhetoric in exchange for staying away from the funerals of 9-year-old Christina Green and US District Judge John Roll.

How Tucson kept Westboro Baptist Church protests out of town

Tucson, Ariz. – United in grief over the Arizona mass shooting, Tucsonans and their sympathizers accomplished what others could not: run the controversial Westboro Baptist Church out of town.

Members of the church have protested outside military funerals across the United States as they attempt to spread their message that America is being punished for its growing tolerance of gay rights. But in Tucson, protesters did not show up at the first two funerals for shooting victims – held for 9-year-old Christina Green and US District Judge John Roll.
Instead, the Topeka, Kan., church will take to the airwaves. In exchange for canceling its planned pickets at the funerals of the six shooting victims, the church announced, it will get air time on two radio shows.

*snip*

Shirley Phelps-Roper is expected to get 30 minutes of air time on a Phoenix talk show hosted by Steve Sanchez. And on Monday, the nationally syndicated Mike Gallagher show will give an hour to Ms. Phelps-Roper.

Therefore, they really aren’t keeping them out of town, just away from the funerals of those victims who lost their lives in Tuscon at the hand of a mentally-disturbed individual.

What’s kind of interesting is that Miss Shirley won’t be able to just simply sit and spew her hateful bullshit for an hour:

Phelps-Roper won’t simply have an open mic, he notes. She will be debating Dinesh D’Souza, president of The King’s College in New York City and author of “What’s So Great About Christianity.”

If they don’t have a good moderator, all that will happen is that this bitch will outshout D’Souza with her screeching voice and babble on with her nonsense about her evil god who kills soldiers and causes bad stuff to happen because there are gays in the world. If there is a god with such powers and he hates the gays he created, then why doesn't this god just eliminate what he doesn't like? No, this god, they say, kills soldiers who are protecting their country, kills children who are just learning about life and many of whom don't even know about sex or sexuality yet, and kills whoever he feels like just because he doesn't like something about his own creations. Makes ZERO sense.

We have a society where people must be silent in movie theaters and observe the no talk rules in town meetings, classrooms, courtrooms, etc, but to demand silence during funerals is to be in violation of free speech. There are times when one must follow the rules to shut the hell up.

Hitchens on Women and Religion

2011-01-18T19:31:00.000-06:00

Once Western women come to understand that men have used and still use religion to control and keep women “in their place”, I find it puzzling why most women still cling to primitive Biblical beliefs despite modern feminist views and all that we have come to learn about cultures, customs and beliefs around the world throughout time. Why would a woman even find the Christian version of a god comforting when the Bible is full of hundreds of passages which promote the oppression of women and promote the opposite of feminist views and equality to their male counterparts. The same for those whose ancestors were slaves and held in bondage and all justified with Biblical passages. How can they find this religion and this god who condones slavery to be comforting if they have read and understood their religious texts at all? As a female ex-Christian who finally “saw the light” in my early 30s, I can’t see why most women wouldn’t be atheist.

Here is Christopher Hitchens discussing women and religion:

More wild claims with zero evidence

2011-01-08T11:03:00.002-06:00

From the top church officials at the Vatican, to the obscure fundamentalist believers, god-botherers continue to make up stories about how their imaginary friend created everything while offering no evidence what-so-ever to support their wild claims — except to offer their ancient mythology book written by ignorant humans centuries upon centuries ago (and of which provides zero scientific or any supporting evidence for the many claims made by all these denominations of Christianity that their god zapped us all into being).

We have this story recently from Reuters:

God was behind Big Bang, universe no accident: Pope

God’s mind was behind complex scientific theories such as the Big Bang, and Christians should reject the idea that the universe came into being by accident, Pope Benedict said on Thursday. “The universe is not the result of chance, as some would want to make us believe,” Benedict said on the day Christians mark the Epiphany, the day the Bible says the three kings reached the site where Jesus was born by following a star.

What does Pope Benny provide as supporting evidence for his claims?

(Cricket sounds)

The story continues:

Some atheists say science can prove that God does not exist, but Benedict said that some scientific theories were “mind limiting” because “they only arrive at a certain point … and do not manage to explain the ultimate sense of reality …”
He said scientific theories on the origin and development of the universe and humans, while not in conflict with faith, left many questions unanswered.

So, when Christians or other god believers have unanswered questions, what do they do? Yep, they make shit up and no matter what denomination, they all sound alike. Their reasoning is exactly the same.

“In the beauty of the world, in its mystery, in its greatness and in its rationality … we can only let ourselves be guided toward God, creator of heaven and earth,” he said.

In other words, they believe what they want to believe…without evidence, and the church leaders tell their flocks of sheeple that it is close-minded to question what the church leaders say is true. They say it and the masses are to believe it . . . unquestioningly.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T10:56:00.003-06:00

Atheist New Year’s Show, LA Various comedians welcome in the new year with a comedy show.

Good news

2010-11-22T15:24:00.001-06:00

We could all use a little bit of good news these days, and this news gives me some hope that maybe many in the red states aren’t that backwards after all.

A Win In Louisiana: Textbook Council Backs Bona Fide Biology Books

By a vote of 8-4, the state’s Textbook/Media/Library Advisory Council voted to support biology textbooks that uphold sound science and do not allow fundamentalist religious concepts to interfere.

For once, Louisiana has provided a glimmer of hope that maybe it no longer wants to be a science-education laughing stock.

Sadly though, there were still a third of the votes in favor of adding creationism to science textbooks. That is still too big of a percentage in favor of superstition being taught as reality in this day and age.

“There is no major research university in this country that teaches intelligent design or anything like that. It is simply not science,” Kevin Carman, dean of the LSU College of Science told the AP. “We need our textbooks to be focused on what is scientifically accurate and not religion.”

Could officials in Louisiana finally be ready to listen to the experts, instead of Religious Right zealots? We really hope so – but it is probably too soon to call.
In any case, we’ll gladly accept this win.

Richard Dawkings reads his hate mail.

2010-11-22T15:21:00.001-06:00

This is quite amusing. We’ve heard these “loving Christian messages” before, but very funny the way Dawkins presents them.

Religious Right’s post-election divisive agenda

2010-11-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

The Religious Right is feeling pretty empowered right now after their victory taking control of the House. They are most assuredly going to insist on action in their favor to controversial social issues. Screw the economy and getting people back to work, the pushing will start for creationism taught in public schools, “faith-based” hiring bias, laws allowing electioneering by churches, “Christian nation” resolutions and other measures that undercut church-state separation.

AU’s Barry Lynn states, ““Americans did not vote to stoke the fires of the culture war, but they may have done so inadvertently.”

Election Turned On Economic Issues, But Constitution May Suffer Collateral Damage, Says Americans United

Lynn noted that the Religious Right remains a potent political force in some situations. In Iowa, for example, a concentrated campaign by the Family Research Council, the American Family Association and their allies resulted in the ousting of three state Supreme Court justices who voted in favor of civil marriage rights for same-sex couples.

“Church-state separation is going to be under sustained fire for the next two years in Congress and in many state legislatures,” said Lynn. “Religious Right leaders are re-energized by the election results, and they are going to want action. Those of us who believe in individual freedom and equality are going to have our hands full.”

We most certainly are. AU is going to need whatever help we can give them. Click here to make a donation and give your support:

Americans United for Separation of Church and State

‘School Choice’ proponents starting already

2010-11-04T17:29:00.000-05:00

They are starting already. Less than two days have passed since polling places closed for midterm elections and proponents of religious school voucher subsidies are already pushing the newly-elected congress to continue a program that funnels federal taxpayer dollars to religious education.

Voucher Revival?: ‘School Choice’ Proponents Are Targeting New Congress

D.C. Parents for School Choice issued a statement yesterday claiming that Tuesday’s election results will increase the chances of continuing a District of Columbia program that funnels federal taxpayer dollars to religious education. “Our representatives have the opportunity to right one of the most severe wrongs of the past two years — the elimination of the [Opportunity Scholarship Program],” said Virginia Walden Ford, the group’s executive director. “The time has come for our new Congress to send a clear message to D.C. parents — that their needs will no longer fall on deaf ears in the highest corridors of power.”

The D.C. voucher program was pushed through Congress by the George W. Bush administration. It passed the House of Representatives by a single vote in 2004 and cleared the Senate only as a result of a procedural move.
The scheme paid up to $7,500 per student for tuition at religious and other private schools and was supposed to be a five-year experiment. The “experiment” was a failure, and after it expired in 2008, Congress limited participation to students already receiving a voucher. No new students were permitted to enter the program – a compromise supported by President Obama.

But despite this compromise, a few members of Congress have sought to reauthorize and expand the program so new students can be admitted. So far, Americans United and our allies have succeeded in stopping these plans.

Unfortunately, it looks like we may have an uphill battle to keep it that way.
D.C. Parents for School Choice said yesterday that it would be mailing packets of information about the voucher program to newly elected House members and senators this week.

The information that will probably be left out of the packets include:

* Approximately 82 percent of D.C. voucher students attended religious schools in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
* In its final report on the program, the U.S. Department of Education found no significant improvement in the reading and math scores of students participating in the D.C. voucher program.
* Studies have also shown that D.C. vouchers have no effect on student motivation, engagement and perceptions of safety. In fact, many voucher schools do not provide key services that public schools do.
* A 2007 Government Accountability Office report found participating private schools lacked occupancy permits and employed teachers without bachelor’s degrees.

AU’s Sandhya Bathija states, “Voucher boosters are blind to this reality. And they want Congress to be, too.” And since the House is made up of mostly bible thumpers, I am sure they will have their blinders on to the facts.

Religious right attempt to control voters with satan scare tactics

2010-09-24T14:02:00.000-05:00

This is so ridiculous I can’t believe that this is even being taken seriously in the news media at all. It’s unbelievable that in the year 2010 we are still having these sorts of debates and arguments about a boogieman who is overlord of the underworld and is just out to make people take political stances on issues that are against the will a particular segment of Christianity. Mind boggling!

Giving The Devil His Due: FRC Staffer Says Americans Who Fail To Toe The Religious Right Line Are Serving Satan

by: By Rob Boston

Are you an agent of Satan?

Kenyn Cureton is worried that you might be. Cureton is vice president for church ministries for the Family Research Council. During the FRC’s recent “Values Voter Summit,” he warned attendees at a breakout session on churches and politics to be ready for some intense action.
“The battle that we’re fighting,” he said, “is not just a political and cultural battle, it’s a spiritual battle.”

And when a battle is spiritual, you can be sure that some people are serving the wrong side.

“When you think about it, you know, the real enemy is not the poor, deluded souls who are advancing these evil agendas,” Cureton said. “Really, they’re just simply pawns in the hands of their malevolent master. They’re simply doing the bidding of the devil, OK?”

So here’s how it goes: You either agree with the Religious Right on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, church-state relations and so on or you’re buddies with Beelzebub!

These guys have a lot of nerve.

READ MORE

The religious right seem to think they have the monopoly on values, and I personally am sick of it.

We are all “values voters.” Those of us who disagree with the Religious Right’s narrow theology and burning desire to “Christianize” (as you define Christian) this nation have values too.

Ours are a little different than yours, Kenyn. We value things like tolerance, diversity, secular government and complete religious liberty for all, supported by the wall of separation between church and state. We value the wisdom of the Founders and will defend it.

We value the Constitution, a document you and your pals in the Religious Right claim to revere but all too often treat like a first draft. (How many amendments does the Religious Right want to add? Let’s see – school prayer, government funding of religious schools, anti-abortion, anti-gay-marriage, “parental rights.” Have I forgotten any?)

It has been said many times that politics is the art of compromise. One of the main problems with the Religious Right’s approach to politics is that it tosses that maxim out the window. How can you compromise with people who are Satan’s imps?

Many political analysts believe that the nation is more polarized than ever. I believe it. Attitudes like Cureton’s go a long way in explaining how we got here.

From what I have been seeing, the religious right no longer even care about how stupid their party’s candidates are, as long as they believe in Christianity, AND the right brand of Christianity.

Boo-hooing Christians in North Carolina

2010-09-24T13:56:00.002-05:00

I have been hearing via email and on FB all the whining from a few fundamentalist Christians I know about this story, and how they believe that the minority should stop standing in the way of what the majority want to do:

Flag Furor: North Carolina Town Battles Over Christian Banner

The Winston-Salem Journal reported on a situation in King, N.C., where a Christian flag had been included in a veterans’ memorial in the community’s Central Park. An Afghanistan war veteran wanted the city to remove the flag to, as he put it, “bring attention to the fact that regardless of the form of government, it had no right to impose any type of religious belief upon its population.”

On Aug. 11, Americans United wrote a letter to the city urging them to remove the flag. On Aug. 16, the North Carolina ACLU did the same.
City officials, after receiving the letters, consulted with their attorney who also agreed that flying the flag of one particular faith violates church-state separation and does not honor all veterans who have fought for our country. The decision was made to remove the flag.

That’s when the whining and boo-hooing started.

Since then, dozens of phone calls and e-mails have poured in from residents complaining about the move. More than 200 people attended a protest rally at the memorial on Monday night, hoping the council will reconsider. Another rally is in the works for next month, too.
The anonymous veteran who complained has also been personally attacked.

“What a coward,” someone commented on the Journal’s Web site. “He can face the Taliban but not American citizens who are probably his neighbors?”

It’s appalling to see how many misguided people have pounced on this veteran who not only bravely served this country, but has now also chosen to stand up for the Constitution. What’s worse, their comments prove that many know little about the principles our country is based on.

As the article states, and as we have had arguments about many times with fundamentalist Christians, they mistakenly believe that this country is officially a Christian country. They refuse to educate themselves and just believe what they want to believe, and while they can do that with their fictional god and Bible stories, they can’t just make stuff up about the Constitution and the principles on which this country was founded.

Many Americans seem to be confused and believe that because majority of Americans are Christians that means the United States is a Christian nation. Many seem to think that the majority should be able to vote and take away the rights of the minority. That’s simply not how it works.

Confused, or pig-headed? Maybe a little of both.

To Bill Donohue: Atheism is NOT a religion . . .

2010-09-24T13:53:00.000-05:00

. . .and we don’t have to apologize for anything. Start focusing on cleaning up the crimes and perversions in your religion which is still ongoing in TODAY’S WORLD. Stalin, Mao, and all those monsters made religions of their regimes. No organizing of horrendous genocide, wars, or other crimes have been committed in the name of atheism. Atheism is just a lack of god beliefs. Catholicism is indeed an established religion which controls a huge number of people in the name of your god. The Pope is the leader of that Catholic religious empire where great atrocities have been committed in the name of that religion in the past, where great atrocities against children still are ongoing today and are covered up by the Church (though with the coming forward of past victims, and the news media it’s getting more difficult to keep quiet). Your request to have atheists apologize for historical events not related to them is just an attempt to divert attention way from the problems of the Catholic oppressive empire.

Bill Donohue writes:

ATHEISTS MUST APOLOGIZE FOR HITLER

The pope cited Hitler today, asking everyone to “reflect on the sobering lessons of atheist extremism of the 20th century.” Immediately, the British Humanist Association got its back up, accusing the pope of “a terrible libel against those who do not believe in God.”

The pope did not go far enough. Radical atheists like the British Humanist Association should apologize for Hitler. But they should not stop there. They also need to issue an apology for the 67 million innocent men, women and children murdered under Stalin, and the 77 million innocent Chinese killed by Mao. Hitler, Stalin and Mao were all driven by a radical atheism, a militant and fundamentally dogmatic brand of secular extremism. It was this anti-religious impulse that allowed them to become mass murderers. By contrast, a grand total of 1,394 were killed during the 250 years of the Inquisition, most all of whom were murdered by secular authorities.

Why should atheists today apologize for the crimes of others? At one level, it makes no sense: apologies should only be given by the guilty. But on the other hand, since the fanatically anti-Catholic secularists in Britain, and elsewhere, demand that the pope—who is entirely innocent of any misconduct—apologize for the sins of others, let the atheists take some of their own medicine and start apologizing for all the crimes committed in their name. It might prove alembic.

No, we don't have anything to apologize for, Bill Donohue. How about Catholics start addressing and doing something about the real and ongoing problems of the Catholic church, and for starters prosecuting the criminals the Vatican protects.

JFK : “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute”

2010-09-24T13:45:00.001-05:00

Religion controls our political system like it never has before. The Republicans are quickly destroying the foundations of this country, choosing to dismantle the established separation of church and state. Fifty years ago, on Sept. 12, 1960, President John F. Kennedy gave one of the most important speeches on church and state in American history. Refuting charges that his Catholic religious affiliation would interfere with his presidential duties, Kennedy outlined the proper constitutional relationship between religion and government.

John F. Kennedy’s Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association delivered 12 September 1960 at the Rice Hotel in Houston, TX

Excerpt:

I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute; where no Catholic prelate would tell the President — should he be Catholic — how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference, and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him, or the people who might elect him.

I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accept instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source; where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials, and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all.

For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been — and may someday be again — a Jew, or a Quaker, or a Unitarian, or a Baptist. It was Virginia’s harassment of Baptist preachers, for example, that led to Jefferson’s statute of religious freedom. Today, I may be the victim, but tomorrow it may be you — until the whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped apart at a time of great national peril.

Finally, I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end, where all men and all churches are treated as equals, where every man has the same right to attend or not to attend the church of his choice, where there is no Catholic vote, no anti-Catholic vote, no bloc voting of any kind, and where Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, at both the lay and the pastoral levels, will refrain from those attitudes of disdain and division which have so often marred their works in the past, and promote instead the American ideal of brotherhood.

And here we are fifty years later, and the real issues continue to be obscured by the attempts by the religious to dismantle what has been established by our forefathers and turn us into the United Christian Theocracy of America.

Restoring whose honor???

2010-08-31T13:52:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, Faux News personality and religious fanatic, Glenn Beck held his divisiveness and intolerance rally in Washington, D.C. over the weekend.

Prior to the event, Americans United posted this article:

Beck Rallies In Washington Undercut Church-State Separation, Watchdog Group Charges

There is an event tonight at the Kennedy Center called “Divine Destiny,” and is being touted by Beck as a way to “reunite” Americans, and to “heal your soul” and to take a “look at the role faith played in the founding of America and the role it will play again in its destiny.”

However . . .

In reality, a major goal of Beck’s rallies is to undermine the Founding Fathers’ vision of a nation where government and religion are kept separate. Beck propagates a revisionist historical perspective that says America is an officially religious state. Mainline Christians, Muslims, non-believers and other Americans who fail to meet Beck’s religious test are often maligned.
“Our nation’s destiny will be disastrous, not divine, if Glenn Beck has his way,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “The message Beck and his cronies want to send is clear: if you don’t believe in a government based on his religious vision, you should expect to be treated like a second-class citizen. Beck has made it clear that he has no respect for our Constitution’s promise of religious liberty for all.”

On the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, the great civil rights leader is probably spinning in his grave.

Whose honor are they seeking to restore? (Bristol's maybe, as a friend of mine jokingly suggested.) Beck and Palin had stated that this was not a political event, but from what I had seen from the interviews of some of those in attendance, it was more of an anti-abortion rally, anti-gay rally, all wrapped up into sort of a campground church revival. If it were up to these people who attended, we would be ruled by a Christian theocracy in a heartbeat.

War on Christmas crap starting already

2010-08-31T13:43:00.001-05:00

When are these idiots in government going to understand what Separation of Church and State means? It doesn’t mean that they let every religious group display their individual beliefs on STATE and/or Federal property. Government should not be endorsing ANY religion…NONE. The reason they are allowing other beliefs to be put on display is to be able to put their own Christian beliefs on display on government property while shutting everyone else up with the appearance of “being fair.”

RICHMOND, Va. – Local governments can offer religious holiday displays, provided other beliefs are allowed to display their holiday symbols, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote in an advisory opinion.
Cuccinelli publicly released the opinion Tuesday, responding to a request by Del. Robert G. Marshall, who asked under what conditions Loudoun County would be permitted to display the “birth of Jesus Christ.”
In his response, Cuccinelli said a local government can erect Christmas displays on public property as long as other faiths and beliefs are represented.
In an opinion loaded with footnotes, Cuccinelli wrote that Loudoun County “is free to create a nondiscriminatory forum for recognition of holidays, including Christmas, if it makes clear that the county itself is not communicating a religious message.”

If you are allowing religious symbols to be displayed on GOVERNMENT property, then the county, town, state, etc. is indeed helping to communicate religious messages.

In another interview, Cuccinelli stated:

In an opinion issued Friday, Cuccinelli said local governments are “never categorically compelled to prohibit holiday displays.”
“Holiday displays at government facilities may include depictions of Jesus along with “candy canes,” Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says.”
*snip*
“… The county is free to communicate its own recognition of the holidays, including Christmas, as long as overtly Christian symbols are balanced with other religious and secular ones in a way that communicates to reasonable, informed observers that the county is not making a religious statement.

Overtly Christian symbols and displays are okay on government property??? Since when? And I will repeat what I said above, if you are allowing religious symbols to be displayed on GOVERNMENT property, then the county, town, state, etc. is indeed making religious statements. Tossing in a few token candy canes and snowmen doesn’t take away the fact of the Christian message this government led by mostly Christian politicians is trying to endorse/promote.

“Because secular symbols can insulate innately religious symbols from constitutional attack, decoration of public buildings with such secular items such as lights, candy canes, poinsettias, fir trees, snowflakes, and red and green ribbons should raise no serious constitutional objection.”

Just like with their own religious rules, they think they can just alter the laws to suit themselves in order to wiggle in their own beliefs on the steps of government buildings and other public places. No Mr Cuccinelli, it is not okay to put Jesus imagery on display on government property even if surrounded by a thousand candy canes and and colored lights, and if the citizens of Virginia support this decision, your state is all screwed up.

West Wing - Powerful soliloquy

2010-08-20T08:52:00.001-05:00

This scene with Martin Sheen talking to God is such a powerful one. It states how many agnostics and atheists feel. The god of the Bible is mean, vindictive, hateful, and dangerous as any in all of the ancient mythologies. Gods in literature/mythology/theology hold all of the worst characteristics of human kind.

West Wing - Bible Quote scene

2010-08-20T08:41:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my friend KA for posting this in a thread at another blog. This is priceless.

When religious tolerance goes too far

2010-08-18T20:40:00.000-05:00

I know everyone is sick to death of hearing about this mosque “controversy”, but this must be brought to the attention of those who may not be aware that New York Gov. David Paterson made a proposal that if the people behind the Cordoba mosque and community center agree to move their facility somewhere else in New York City, the state would be happy to pay for it.

Gov. David A. Paterson said Tuesday that he would consider offering state-owned property to the developers of a $100 million Muslim center and mosque if they decided to build it farther from ground zero.

As this AU article points out, Paterson seems to have forgotten that the U.S. Constitution and the New York Constitution contains strong language barring any diversion of public resources for religious purposes. (Article XI, for example, bans public support of institutions “wholly or in part under the control or direction of any religious denomination….”)

Americans United’s Barry Lynn elaborates:Use of Government Property to Relocate NYC Mosque Raises Serious Legal Questions, Says Americans United

“I understand that some people are not happy with the prospect of an Islamic center opening in Manhattan, but relocating it to public property raises significant legal issues,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Whether the governor is talking about a gift of public land or a sweetheart deal that gives one religious group a special right to purchase government property, it’s wrong.

“In America,” continued Lynn, “government does not subsidize religion or give religious groups preferential treatment.”

I agree with Lynn who said the solution to this dilemma is to respect the Muslim group’s right to build its center on private property using private funds even if we may not like it or believe it to be disrespectful and insensitive. There is nothing legally we can do to stand in their way. But to try to bribe them away with government land is illegal, and a direct violation of Separation of Church and State.

Dr. Laura goes into persecution mode and ends her show . . .

2010-08-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

. . . then Dr Laura Schlessinger cries that her 1st Amendment rights have been violated because people criticized her for her “N” word rant, making racist comments on her radio program. No one pulled her plug, she did that herself, but however it came to be that she is no longer on the airwaves spewing forth her moronic advice and bullshit, we can be thankful for her self-imposed banishment.

Dr. Laura to end her radio show

Los Angeles, California (CNN) — Embattled radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday she will not renew her contract that is up at the end of the year, telling CNN’s “Larry King Live” she wants to “regain my First Amendment rights.”

Schlessinger, 63, has been under fire for using the N-word repeatedly during an on-air conversation with a caller last week.

In announcing her decision “not to do radio anymore” after being in the business for more than 30 years, Schlessinger said, “I want to be able to say what’s on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry or some special-interest group deciding this is a time to silence a voice of dissent.”

National furor erupted when Schlessinger used the N-word 11 times in five minutes during a call August 10 with an African-American caller who was seeking advice on how to deal with racist comments from her white husband’s friends and relatives. The conversation evolved into a discussion on whether it’s appropriate to ever use the word, with Schlessinger arguing it’s used on HBO and by black comedians.

Schlessinger apologized the following day, saying “I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the N-word all the way out — more than one time. And that was wrong. I’ll say it again — that was wrong.”
While Schlessinger told King on Tuesday that she was still “regretful” over the incident, she said she feels her freedom of speech rights “have been usurped by angry, hateful groups who don’t want to debate — they want to eliminate.”

“I decided it was time to move on to other venues where I could say my peace and not have to live in fear anymore,” she said.

Schlessinger plans to expand her internet presence with her website.
“I’m not retiring. I’m not quitting,” she said. “I feel energized actually, stronger and freer to say the things that I believe need to be said for people in this country.”

As one commenter stated, freer to say the “N” word and be as racist as she wants? She didn’t attempt to help the caller at all, and instead went on this tirade which indicates her true feelings. Though she is not a Christian (she is Jewish), she acts like one in the way she wants her First Amendment rights upheld to say what she wants, but doesn’t want anyone else to exercise their right to criticize what she says.

IRAS 05437+2502: An Enigmatic Star Cloud from Hubble

2010-08-09T17:41:00.001-05:00

Credit: ESA, Hubble, NASA

Explanation: What's lighting up nebula IRAS 05437+2502? No one is sure. Particularly enigmatic is the bright upside-down V that defines the upper edge of this floating mountain of interstellar dust, visible near the image center. In general, this ghost-like nebula involves a small star forming region filled with dark dust that was first noted in images taken by the IRAS satellite infrared light in 1983. Shown above is a spectacular, recently released image from the Hubble Space Telescope that, although showing many new details, has not uncovered a clear cause of the bright sharp arc. One hypothesis holds that the glowing arc was created by a massive star that somehow attained a high velocity and has now left the nebula. Small, faint IRAS 05437+2502 spans only 1/18th of a full moon toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus).

Approaching Neptune

2010-08-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

Credit: Voyager 2, NASA

Explanation: Two hours before closest approach to Neptune in 1989, the Voyager 2 robot spacecraft snapped this picture. Clearly visible for the first time were long light-colored cirrus-type clouds floating high in Neptune's atmosphere. Shadows of these clouds can even be seen on lower cloud decks. Most of Neptune's atmosphere is made of hydrogen and helium, which is invisible. Neptune's blue color therefore comes from smaller amounts of atmospheric methane, which preferentially absorbs red light. Neptune has the fastest winds in the Solar System, with gusts reaching 2000 kilometers per hour. Speculation holds that diamonds may be created in the dense hot conditions that exist under the cloud tops of Uranus and Neptune

California Gay Marriage Ban Overturned

2010-08-06T15:11:00.001-05:00

Just a quickie newsflash

California Gay Marriage Ban Overturned

A federal judge Wednesday struck down a California ban on same-sex marriages as unconstitutional, according to reports the ruling by Judge Vaughn R. Walker of Federal District Court in San Francisco represents an important victory for gay rights advocates in a case that many believe may end up eventually going to the United States Supreme Court.

Where's a liberal supposed to shop anymore?

2010-08-06T15:08:00.003-05:00

ChuckA has alerted me to what he calls “more outrageously stupid BS”, and this indeed is. While we are scrutinizing and condemning large national/international chains with a conservative political agenda like Walmart and Hobby Lobby, we can now add Target to the list.

Target Funds Anti-gay politics

Austin Cline at About.com writes:

As a retailer, Target seems to be relatively popular among liberals — but that’s probably more due to a lack of choices, given how WalMart is their biggest competitor, than anything positive that Target has ever done. Now, though, there are strong negative reasons to avoid Target: when you give Target money, they funnel to anti-gay politicians like Tom Emmer in Minnesota. Emmer then funnels money to anti-gay ideologue Bradlee Dean who seems to approve of the execution of gays. Yes, that’s where money spent at Target is going.

Who is Bradlee Dean?

Bradlee Dean, the frontman of a Christian rock band in Minnesota called You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, recently said that Muslim countries that execute LGBTs are “more moral than even the American Christians,” plus some mouth-foaming about gays engaging in abominations and child molestation. Ugh

You can check out this “loving Christian”‘s blog here,if you have time to waste: Bradlee Dean’s Blog (Of course there are no comment sections to tell him how asshattish, hateful and bigoted his opinions and ideas are.)

What is the connection to Target?

Bradlee’s ministry received money and support from Tom Emmer, an anti-gay Minnesota Republican running for Governor. And Tom Emmer’s campaign got a boost from Minnesota Forward, a PAC running TV ads on his behalf. And Minnesota Forward got $150,000 — which amounts to about a third of all of their donations — from Target.

In support of Austin Cline’s article, here is another source complete with links to a trail that follows the money:

Target’s Financial Backing of Anti-Gay Politician

I stopped shopping at Target for prescription drugs after a couple of errors in filling my medications within a short amount of time. Now I have a reason to not shop there at all, no matter how convenient they are, and no matter what kind of grand sale is going on.

Anti-evolutionists at it again in Louisiana

2010-07-28T10:27:00.002-05:00

This isn’t old news or anything surprising. We have reported on the attempts by the delusional of Louisiana to force their magical beliefs into the classroom while expecting their religious beliefs to be taught side-by-side with subjects in the category of Science that are backed by extensive evidence and data. Morons just won’t give up.

Creationist rumblings in Lousiana

Creationism is stirring in Louisiana, with a proposal to teach creationism in Livingston Parish and a call for creationists to scrutinize textbooks proposed for adoption by the state in the headlines.

“The Livingston Parish School Board will begin exploring the possibility of incorporating the teaching of ‘creationism’ in the public school system’s science classes,” reported the Baton Rouge Advocate (July 24, 2010). The director of curriculum for the district reportedly told the board that, under the Louisiana Science Education Act, schools are allowed to present “critical thinking and creationism” in science classes. The response from the board was enthusiastic, with David Tate asking, “Why can’t we get someone with religious beliefs to teach creationism?” and Clint Mitchell adding, “Teachers should have the freedom to look at creationism and find a way to get it into the classroom.” Keith Martin, the president of the board, agreed, “Maybe it’s time that we look at this,” and proposed the formation of a committee to study the possibility.

NO! Teachers should NOT “have the freedom to look at creationism and find a way to get it into the public school classroom.” That’s what mythology temples churches are for! Religion belongs in churches or in classes dealing in theology, not in classes that present verifiable scientific facts.

We will be keeping an eye on this one to see how it turns out.

Deadly Superstition and Abuse

2010-07-28T10:20:00.001-05:00

Just when you think you’ve heard it all, there’s more…evil genie possession:

Saudi man chains his son in the basement for six years because he is ‘possessed by an evil female genie’

A Saudi man has been chained in a basement apartment for more than six years because his father believes he is possessed by an evil female genie.
‘When he has fits he has convulsions and his entire body twists and his eyes become completely white,’ said the father of the 29-year-old man who has been identified only as Turki.
‘Then the voice of a woman can be heard coming from him.’

The following excerpt is identical to the Catholic horror tales of demon possession (some have said this proves that the debbil exists )

When Turki first began behaving bizarrely, his father took him to local Muslim clerics to recite the Koran over him.

‘But most of them became scared when they heard the female voice telling them that she was a royal jinn (genie) and that no-one can exorcise her unless Turki dies,’ his father said.
One cleric advised him to shackle his son’s arms and legs in chains and read the Koran to him.

Instead of all this woo, it is obvious that this young man needs some urgent emergency medical care!

A Saudi human rights activist and professor in Sharia (Islamic law) who visited Turki found him to be in a ‘semi-coma’.
Muhammad Al-Suhali said Turki ‘did not know what was going on around him. He could not eat, drink or use the toilet without the help of others’.

And no one called the medics? Is this really 2010???

Christianity's message to its children

2010-07-20T14:22:00.002-05:00

Chilling video from the Thinking Atheist. What children are being taught in the name of God. And it is all true and not an exaggeration. Those of us who were born into and raised in Christian homes were all told these things and had them drilled into us again and again, week after week in the churches and Sunday school.

"Stealth evangelism" in public schools

2010-07-20T12:26:00.000-05:00

“Stealth evangelizing”, (fundamentalist proselytizing) groups are forming all around the country intending to sneak “under the radar” at public school events with the intention of evangelizing to the children once they get in the door.

Stealth Evangelism And The Public Schools by Rob Boston

These groups share common tactics: They approach school officials with an offer of an engaging assembly on a topic that looks secular, such as suicide prevention, drug awareness or anti-bullying strategies.

Speakers may have scant credentials to address these topics. That’s not surprising, because they are really just fundamentalist evangelists looking for a way to preach to a captive public school audience.

Boston reports that “Several fundamentalist Christian ministries seek to bring proselytizing messages into public schools. Here is information about some of those organizations. All mission statements are taken directly from the groups’ Web sites.”

• The Power Team
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Budget: $1,522,438
Description: This fundamentalist-oriented ministry relies on a bevy of buff athletes who perform feats of strength such as bending metal bars and ripping up phone books. Led by Todd Keene, the group offers programs on suicide prevention, drug awareness, nutrition and other topics – but there’s no evidence that the presenters are experts in any of these fields.
Mission: “The Power Team, Inc. endeavors to preach and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. People are motivated and encouraged to live virtuously and righteously by following the teachings of Jesus Christ.”

• Sports World
Headquarters: Indianapolis, Ind.
Budget: $1,308,079
Description: Sports World recruits former pro athletes and converts them into proselytizers in the public schools. The ex-athletes give lectures on topics such as suicide, drug abuse and abusive relationships.
Mission: “The vision of Sports World Ministries, Inc. is to have a presence on every available school campus, encouraging and challenging students through the Message of Hope…. Sports World is a seed-planting ministry and always seeks to pass the baton to local groups for discipleship and Christian mentoring.”

• Strength Team
Headquarters: Missoula, Mont.
Budget: $499,718
Description: The Strength Team is a sort of poor man’s version of the Power Team. It uses a crew of muscle men who perform feats of strength while offering talks on character and anti-bullying strategies.
Mission: “We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.”

• You Can Run But You Cannot Hide
Headquarters: Annandale, Minn.
Budget: $385,670
Description: This fundamentalist ministry uses a rock band to lure youngsters into fundamentalist Christianity. The band, called Junkyard Prophet, claims to be able to address any number of issues. According to its Web site, the band offers an “overall message of responsibility” touching on issues such as “drugs, alcoholism, suicide, sex, media, our country, our Veterans, our freedom, the Constitution, the choices we make, the friends that we have, and more in a language that speaks directly to the heart of this generation.”
Mission: “[To] bring permanent change to the people in your community and to the whole nation.”

• Commandos! USA
Headquarters: Katy, Texas
Budget: $169,957
Description: The “commandos” are a team of performers who dress in quasi-military garb while demonstrating feats of strength and engaging in mock battles in loud, high-energy presentations. The events are interspersed with lectures on motivation and character, but the group’s evangelical bias is clear.
Mission: “[Commandos founder Billy Lowery] has a very strong belief that Biblical values are not suggestions, rather solid mandates that assure some degree of civility and success in our culture.”

• Team Impact
Headquarters: Coppell, Texas
Budget: $1,865,141
Description: Similar to the Power Team and the Strength Team, Team Impact uses muscle-bound performers to get the attention of young people. According to the group’s Web site, “[Y]our church has the ability to impact your schools with this powerful message. Very rarely do we not couple these effective school outreaches with our local church events.” The ministry claims to address 700,000 students every year.
Mission: “To spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The organization promotes and sponsors programs directed to the youth of America to encourage them to live and grow in life styles which are based on Biblical principles.”

• Go Tell Crusades
Headquarters: Duluth, Ga.
Budget: $499,779
Description: Evangelist Rick Gage offers anti-drug and anti-alcohol lectures in public schools, trading on his past experiences as a football coach.
Mission: “To promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

• Todd Becker Foundation
Headquarters: Kearney, Neb.
Budget: No information available
Description: This group was founded by the older brother of a Nebraska high school student who died in a drunk-driving accident in 2005. It purports to offer lectures on the dangers of drunk driving to schools, but critics say its real purpose is to evangelize public school students.
Mission: “The Foundation’s purpose is to motivate young individuals to discover their potentials and ultimately discover themselves through first discovering God’s plan for their life by placing their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.”

Sneaky, sneaky bastards!

Mosque near ground zero?

2010-07-14T09:54:00.001-05:00

Most of you are probably aware of the battle going on in New York City over whether a mosque and Muslim community center should be allowed to be built at Ground Zero.

Opponents pack hearing on mosque near ground zero

NEW YORK – Dozens of opponents and some supporters of a mosque planned near ground zero attended a raucous hearing Tuesday about whether the building where the Muslim place of worship would be created warrants designation as a city landmark and should be protected from development.

*snip*

After noting the lower Manhattan building’s history and architectural significance, Lazio said it also warranted landmark designation because on Sept. 11, 2001, it was struck by airplane debris from the terror attacks against the nearby World Trade Center. That connection to the attacks, he said, made it “a place of deep historical significance and a reminder of just what happened on New York’s darkest day.”

As hard as I try to be open-minded on this one, I am having great difficulty with it. For Muslims to even consider putting a mosque and Muslim community center right next door to ground zero is highly insensitive to the people of New York City and to the remaining family members and friends of the 911 victims. I hope that the building can get historical status and they can build their mosque somewhere else. Having a mosque at ground zero will only intensify the memories of the “Allah Akbar!” shouts as planes flew into the Twin Towers, destroying lives, families and our national security in the name of the Muslim god.

Tea Party scare tactics

2010-07-14T09:51:00.001-05:00

While driving back home from Key West, amongst the numerous anti-abortion billboards, and the “you are going to Hell if you don’t love Jesus” billboards, and the sex toys and nude-girls-at-next-stop billboards, my husband and I also saw a few anti-Obama and anti-liberal billboards. I should have had my camera ready to snap a pic of the one that said to be liberal is to be socialist. However, coincidentally in today’s news is a photo of one of the billboards we had seen while passing through Georgia [ed. note: same one as the one in the following news story]. Here it is:

Billboard linking Obama, Hitler draws complaints

DES MOINES, Iowa – A billboard created by an Iowa tea party group that compares President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin is drawing sharp criticism — even from fellow tea party activists who have condemned it as offensive and a waste of money.

Never before in our history, has a president been so radically disrespected. I have never seen so many blatantly hateful billboards against anyone in the public or private realm.

Even many tea party folks say that this billboard is offensive and slanderous, but do they really mean it?

One person who welcomed the billboard was Dean Genth, a Democratic activist from Mason City, a city of 30,000 people just south of the Minnesota border, who said he thinks the sign lays bare the views of tea party supporters.

These hateful scare tactics may just backfire, though. As Genth says:

“I welcome them to continue to spew that kind of stuff because I think it’s going to do a lot of good for the good Democrats around the state,” Genth said.

We can only hope.

Fundie watch

2010-07-09T10:38:00.002-05:00

Sarah Palin is using the “mama grizzly” theme in her new ad, big female protector of her children, however where are her cubs? Why are her children never around her except for when she wants to prop them up for a photo shoot? I’m not against working moms at all, but I am against someone being hypocritical and using her offspring for her own gain and pretending to be something she is not. Someone else is raising her kids while she is on the road and her husband is working, and she has money to pay nannies, sitters, whoever to care for her little darlings. All she really cares about is her own political gain.

And of course there is the question of what a quitter she is. She walked away from her term as governor and did not fulfill her elected promises and obligations. Why would anyone believe she will make a loyal and strong president? Because she loves Jeebus and has conservative imaginary friend beliefs?

While many would not consider Palin a serious threat in the 2012 Presidential election, I don’t think we can take the stupidity of the conservative fundamentalists for granted. They elected Dubya…twice! And don’t underestimate their desire and ability to elect someone even dumber.

Palin touts ‘mama grizzlies’ in new ad

The video of the ad

If she did by some bad luck get elected, that would really suck. We cannot allow that to happen.

Doesn't matter how bad marriage is, as long as it's heterosexual (snark)

2010-07-09T10:35:00.002-05:00

Prehistoric Frilled Shark found...living fossil

2010-07-07T14:43:00.002-05:00

It will be amusing to hear what explanations creationists invent to explain this prehistoric specimen.

Fast Gas Bullet from Cosmic Blast N49

2010-07-07T14:39:00.002-05:00

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State/S. Park et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI/UIUC/Y. H. Chu & R. Williams et al.

Explanation: What is that strange blue blob on the far right? No one is sure, but it might be a speeding remnant of a powerful supernova that was unexpectedly lopsided. Scattered debris from supernova explosion N49 lights up the sky in this gorgeous composited image based on data from the Chandra and Hubble Space Telescopes. Glowing visible filaments, shown in yellow, and X-ray hot gas, shown in blue, span about 30 light-years in our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. Light from the original exploding star reached Earth thousands of years ago, but N49 also marks the location of another energetic outburst -- an extremely intense blast of gamma-rays detected by satellites about 30 years ago on 1979 March 5. The source of the March 5th Event is now attributed to a magnetar - a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star also born in the ancient stellar explosion which created supernova remnant N49. The magnetar, visible near the top of the image, hurtles through the supernova debris cloud at over 70 thousand kilometers per hour. The blue blob on the far right, however, might have been expelled asymmetrically just as a massive star was exploding. If so, it now appears to be moving over 7 million kilometers per hour.

Respect ?

2010-07-07T14:33:00.001-05:00

Companion of a Young, Sun-like Star Confirmed

2010-07-07T14:31:00.002-05:00

Credit: Gemini Observatory, D. Lafreniere, R. Jayawardhana, M. van Kerkwijk (Univ. Toronto)

Explanation: The first direct image of an extrasolar planet orbiting a star similar to our Sun has been confirmed. Located just 500 light-years away toward the constellation Scorpius, the parent star, cataloged as 1RXS J160929.1-210524, is only slightly less massive and a little cooler than the Sun. The star is, however, much younger, a few million years old compared to the middle-aged Sun's 5 billion years. This sharp infrared image shows the young star's planetary companion positioned above and left of center. The planet is estimated to have a mass about 8 times the mass of Jupiter, and orbit a whopping 330 times the Earth-Sun distance from its parent star. The young planetary companion is still hot and relatively bright in infrared light, likely due to the heat generated during its formation by gravitational contraction. In fact, such newborn planets are easier to detect before they age and cool and become much more faint. The discovery image, shown above, was taken in 2008 but confirmed only recently by noting that the planet stayed with its parent star as background stars slightly shifted over time.

Catholics say light the Empire State Building to honor Mother Teresa, or else!

2010-06-18T15:23:00.003-05:00

Mother Teresa is considered by many to be a saint for her supposed selfless dedication in the service of humanity. However, some have accused her of being a rather mean and ghoulish character and running an orphanage where children were maltreated and abused. Some also accuse her of taking money that was meant for the poor and funneling it back to the Vatican for her own personal recognition.(Abusing Children Mother Teresa Style by Atuna Dey)

In Christopher Hitchens opinion, the reason that Mother Teresa is so highly revered amongst not only the Catholic community, but also other religious and even non-religion groups and individuals is:

Partly because that impression is so widespread. But also because the sheer fact that this is considered unquestionable is a sign of what we are up against, namely the problem of credulity. One of the most salient examples of people’s willingness to believe anything if it is garbed in the appearance of holiness is the uncritical acceptance of the idea of Mother Teresa as a saint by people who would normally be thinking – however lazily – in a secular or rational manner. In other words, in every sense it is an unexamined claim.

In his book The Missionary Postion, Hitchens labels Mother Teresa ” the “Ghoul of Calcutta” a “fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud” amongst other things, and there are others who share that same viewpoint for good reasons. Unfortunately most sheeple people will not even bother to listen to or consider these accusations.

In his above-mentioned post on his blog Atanu Dey on India’s Development, Dey writes:

What exactly is my main grouse with M. Teresa? I think that she was evil. She manipulated others and cheated them, and she did so on the backs of Kolkata’s miserable. She was the most famous “beggar lord” – a person who makes a living by taking the money that people give to beggars and using that money for some other purpose. In her case, it is suspected that the money is funneled to the Vatican so that she would get on the fast tract to being canonized.

And now we have this story reported in the news recently:

Light the Empire State Building to honor Mother Teresa, or else?

Catholic forces in New York City are not-so-quietly mobilizing a massive petition drive, protest, lobbying effort and media campaign to attempt to force the owner of the Empire State Building to light the building blue and white on August 26 in honor of Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday. Their efforts have even infiltrated the City Council of New York City, in the form of a resolution which was referred to committee at the council meeting on June 9.

The City Council resolution introduced by Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. would force the building owner to honor the New York City Catholic League’s lighting request.

According to the New York Post, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was infuriated by the owner’s refusal to light the building to honor Teresa. Quinn said: “I just think it’s a really wrongheaded decision.”

Anthony E. Malkin, who privately owns the Empire State Building, said the building “has a specific policy against any other lighting for religious figures or requests by religions and religious organizations.”

The New York Post (June 9) featured a full-page cover story and photo of the Empire State Building with a huge headline: “THE EVIL EMPIRE.” The Catholic League plans to demonstrate outside the Empire State Building on August 26 and has collected 40,000 signatures for a petition in support of the Mother Teresa lighting.

These Catholics are as bad, if not worse than the evangelical protestants when it comes to their lack of consideration for freedom of and freedom from religion. The building is privately owned. The owner can choose to do whatever he wants with this demand. He can honor it, or ignore it. And we know when there is “religious uprising” when they can’t have their way, there could be violence. They say so themselves.

The president of the Catholic League griped: “I think that too many Catholics have fallen asleep at the wheel. It’s time for people, the rank and file to say enough is enough. I hope it’s going to be nonviolent, I wouldn’t encourage violence but I know there’s a lot of anger.”

So they are pissed off because a private building owner will not light his building to honor a certain denominations religious icon, and a ghoulish one at that. What’s really mind-boggling is that the city hall is getting involved instead of just standing firm that it is not their business to promote or make special accommodations for any religion.

Speaker Quinn has additionally joined with Mayor Michael Bloomberg to declare August 26 a “day of service in honor of Mother Teresa.”

Quinn said: “The Empire State Building does not have final say on how Mother Teresa’s life should be honored. That’s why we in the Council are inviting all New Yorkers on August 26th, light up their own windows, homes, businesses in blue and white as a tribute to her. Lighting up the Empire State Building as a tribute to her would be great. But honoring such an inspiring woman does not have to be limited to a single building.”

Fine, light up your own damn windows any way you choose, honor and worship the Ghoul of Calcutta if you choose to on your own property, in your own deluded way. But should the city council be promoting or encouraging such a thing?

“It is inappropriate and unseemly for city council representatives to use their office to promote a denominational religious figure such as the nun, Mother Teresa,” the Freedom From Religion Foundation said.

I agree, it is inappropriate. Once again, a religious community has no respect for the separation of church and state and is trying to bully a private citizen to get its way using elected government officials.

As the article states, “August 26 has long been celebrated as Women’s Equality Day by feminists as the date in 1920 when U.S. women finally won the right to vote, enshrined as the suffrage amendment — the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”

Let’s keep August 26th “Celebrate Women’s Equality Day”, Not birth of Mother Teresa, Ghoul of Calcutta day.

Halo of the Cat's Eye

2010-06-18T14:34:00.000-05:00

Click on image to enlargeCredit & Copyright: R. Corradi (Isaac Newton Group), Nordic Optical Telescope

Explanation: The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary nebulae in the sky. Its haunting symmetries are seen in the very central region of this stunning false-color picture, processed to reveal the enormous but extremely faint halo of gaseous material, over three light-years across, which surrounds the brighter, familiar planetary nebula. Made with data from the Nordic Optical Telescope in the Canary Islands, the composite picture shows extended emission from the nebula. Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase in the life of a sun-like star. Only much more recently however, have some planetaries been found to have halos like this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during earlier active episodes in the star's evolution. While the planetary nebula phase is thought to last for around 10,000 years, astronomers estimate the age of the outer filamentary portions of this halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years.

Heart and Soul Nebulas in Infrared

2010-06-15T16:58:00.002-05:00

Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, WISE Team

Explanation: Is the heart and soul of our Galaxy located in Cassiopeia? Possibly not, but that is where two bright emission nebulas nicknamed Heart and Soul can be found. The Heart Nebula, officially dubbed IC 1805 and visible in the above right, has a shape in optical light reminiscent of a classical heart symbol. The above image, however, was taken in infrared light by the recently launched WISE telescope. Infrared light penetrates well inside the vast and complex bubbles created by newly formed stars in the interior of these two massive star forming regions. Studies of stars and dust like those found in the Heart and Soul Nebulas have focussed on how massive stars form and how they affect their environment. Light takes about 6,000 years to reach us from these nebulas, which together span roughly 300 light years.

Thou shalt make no graven images!

2010-06-15T16:45:00.006-05:00

Lightning levels 6-story-tall Jesus statue

Before

After

I wrote about this "Touchdown Jesus" some time ago. There is even a song about “Big Butter Jesus” on YouTube. Well, it’s now rubble. I guess Zeus must have been jealous.

MONROE, Ohio – A six-story-tall statue of Jesus Christ with his arms raised along a highway was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm Monday night and burned to the ground, police said.

The “King of Kings” statue, one of southwest Ohio’s most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

The lightning strike set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m., Monroe police dispatchers said.

The sculpture, 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown. It was made of plastic foam and fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remained early Tuesday.

The fire spread from the statue to an adjacent amphitheater but was confined to the attic area, and no one was injured, police Chief Mark Neu said. The fire department would release a monetary damage estimate Tuesday, he said.

Travelers on Interstate 75 often were startled to come upon the huge statue by the roadside, but many said America needs more symbols like it. So many people stopped at the church campus that church officials had to build a walkway to accommodate them.

The 4,000-member, nondenominational church was founded by former horse trader Lawrence Bishop and his wife. Bishop said in 2004 he was trying to help people, not impress them, with the statue. He said his wife proposed the Jesus figure as a beacon of hope and salvation and they spent about $250,000 to finance it.

I wonder what imaginative stories the builders, financiers and worshipers of this statue will make up to explain this one. I bet they will blame it on the debbil.

The video:

The Galactic Center in Infrared from 2MASS

2010-05-31T15:33:00.002-05:00

Credit: 2MASS Project, U. Mass., IPAC/Caltech, NSF, NASA

Explanation: The center of our Galaxy is a busy place. In visible light, much of the Galactic Center is obscured by opaque dust. In infrared light, however, dust glows more and obscures less, allowing nearly one million stars to be recorded in the above image. The Galactic Center itself appears glowing on the lower left and is located about 30,000 light years away towards the constellation of Sagittarius. The Galactic Plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, the plane in which the Sun orbits, is identifiable by the dark diagonal dust lane. The absorbing dust grains are created in the atmospheres of cool red-giant stars and grow in molecular clouds. The region directly surrounding the Galactic Center glows brightly in radio and high-energy radiation. The Galactic Center is thought to house a large black hole.

Vatican reaches out to atheists/agnostics?

2010-05-31T15:27:00.002-05:00

The pope and these creepy ghouls at the Vatican are claiming they want to “improve he church’s relationship with non-believers”, but as we all know, what this really is is a sneaky, underhanded attempt to convert us and bring what they perceive as lost sheep back into the fold. Well, I say, no thanks!

The Vatican is planning a new initiative to reach out to atheists and agnostics in an attempt to improve the church’s relationship with non-believers. Pope Benedict XVI has ordered officials to create a new foundation where atheists will be encouraged to meet and debate with some of the Catholic Church’s top theologians.

But the ones who can really make points and take the church theologians to task, like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, will not be invited.

The Vatican hopes to stage a series of debates in Paris next year. But militant non-believers hoping for a chance to set senior church figures straight about the existence of God are set to be disappointed: the church has warned that atheists with high public profiles such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens will not be invited.

Perhaps that is because the Pope and his delusional entourage feel that they will not be able to stand up to such “militant atheists” or perhaps they feel such “militant atheists” are a lost cause for conversion.

“We, as believers, must have at heart even those people who consider themselves agnostics or atheists,” he said. “When we speak of a New Evangelization, these people are perhaps taken aback. They do not want to see themselves as an object of mission or to give up their freedom of thought and will. Yet the question of God remains present even for them, even if they cannot believe in the concrete nature of his concern for us.”

And they still try, try, try to make it like we really do believe, we just don’t know it. If they were really truly interested in our viewpoints they would understand that the “question of God” is only present for us because god believers always have an underlying evangelistic plot to bring us to their beliefs. Well, Dawkins and Hitchens or not, we will still ask the difficult questions…the first one being why the hell don’t you get your own house in order before attempting to reach out to anyone?

Dark Filament of the Sun

2010-05-26T18:11:00.003-05:00

Credit: NASA / Goddard / SDO AIA Team

Explanation: Suspended by magnetic fields above a solar active region this dark filament stretches over 40 earth-diameters. The ominous structure appears to be frozen in time near the Sun's edge, but solar filaments are unstable and often erupt. The detailed scene was captured on May 18 in extreme ultraviolet light by cameras on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. While the cooler plasma of the filament looks dark, hotter, brighter plasma below traces magnetic field lines emerging from the active region. When seen arcing above the edge of the Sun, filaments actually look bright against the dark background of space and are called prominences.

Clouds and Stars over Cotopaxi Volcano in Ecuador

2010-05-26T18:08:00.000-05:00

Fascinating time-lapsed video

Iguaçu Starry Night

2010-05-20T00:12:00.003-05:00

Image Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)

Explanation: The arc of the southern Milky Way shone brightly on this starry night. Captured on May 4, in the foreground of this gorgeous skyview is the rainforest near the spectacular Iguaçu Falls and national park at the border of Brazil and Argentina. Looking skyward along the Milky Way's arc from the left are Alpha and Beta Centauri, the Coalsack, the Southern Cross, and the Carina Nebula. Sirius, brightest star in planet Earth's night sky is at the far right. Brilliant Canopus, second brightest star in the night, and our neighboring galaxies the Large and Small Magellanic clouds, are also included in the scene. For help finding them, just slide your cursor over the image. Much closer to home, lights near the center along the horizon are from Argentina's Iguazú Falls International Airport.

Milky Way Over Ancient Ghost Panel

2010-05-20T00:08:00.001-05:00

Credit & Copyright: Bret Webster

Explanation: Long before Stonehenge was built, well before the Dead Sea Scrolls were written, ancient artists painted life-sized figures on canyon walls in Utah, USA -- but why? Nobody is sure. The entire panel of figures, which dates back about 7,000 years, is called the Great Gallery and was found on the walls of Horseshoe Canyon in Canyonlands National Park. The humans who painted them likely hunted Mammoths. The unusual fuzziness of largest figure led to this mural section's informal designation as the Holy Ghost Panel, although the intended attribution and societal importance of the figure are really unknown. The above image was taken during a clear night in March. The oldest objects in the above image are not the pictographs, however, but the stars of our Milky Way Galaxy far in the background, some of which are billions of years old.

On Commenting

2010-05-16T16:56:00.002-05:00

I apologize for not keeping up to date with comment moderation. I will try to do a better job at checking my queue. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment here.

"We either have free speech or we do not."

2010-05-16T16:50:00.001-05:00

Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who sparked controversy by drawing Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog, was physically attacked on Tuesday while giving a lecture at the university of Uppsala, north of the Stockholm.

“The man was sat in the first row and suddenly he rushed at me. He punched me in the head and I lost my glasses,” said Vilks, adding that at the very most he was “a little bruised”.

The Muslims who showed up to protest knew ahead of time what the lecture was going to be about. Why attend if you know that what is going to be shown will offend you? Because, they don’t want anyone insulting their imaginary friend. Nevermind that Vilks spent time making fun of other religions. That does not matter to the protesters, because they believe that Islam is the only “true beliefs” and if no one else protests so violently, well…that just proves to them that Christianity, Buddhism, and all other religions are untrue but Mohammad and Islam are true and according to extremist Muslims, the right to free speech does not apply to Islam.

I was a bit frustrated to see Swedish non-Muslims just sit there there doing nothing at all during the whole ordeal. No one stood up in defense of free speech. It’s like our friend Pat Condell says, people are afraid to stand up to Muslims because of the risk of violent retaliation. The actions against Vilks shows that the fear is not unjustified. Because of the violent threats by Muslim extremists (which are carried out all too often), groups and organizations choose to just back down and let them have their way.

For Mr. Vilks, who has booby-trapped his own house and says he sleeps with an ax beside his bed, the right to unfettered speech – regardless of whether it offends Muslims – is a point of principle. “This must be carried through. You cannot allow it to be stopped,” he told the Associated Press, saying he wouldn’t hesitate to give the address again.

But the university apparently disagrees. Officials said they would “not likely” invite Vilks again because of the incident. In some quarters, the university’s reponse is adding to concerns that violence and threats from some members of the Muslim community are effectively muzzling free speech.

Last month, Comedy Central edited a “South Park” episode showing Mohammed in a bear suit in response to veiled threats by a New York-based Muslim group.

Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art pulled a collection of art of Mohammed to avoid offending Muslims, who believe that the depiction of any of the prophets is a form of idolatry.

And Brandeis University professor Jytte Klausen says that Yale University Press prohibited her from using several 2005 Danish newspaper caricatures depicting Mohammed with a bomb on his head in her book “The Cartoons That Shook the World.”

“When it comes to depicting the Prophet, this has nothing to do with social issues or integration,” says Professor Klausen. “This is about a political movement by sectarian groups where [depicting Mohammed] has now become a primary trigger for political contention. The university pretty much told [Vilks] to shut up and go talk somewhere else, and I find that reaction very dangerous and problematic. It means that the extremists have achieved what they wanted.”

Here is the video of what happened after the attack on Vilks:

Unusual Starburst Galaxy NGC 1313

2010-04-01T23:51:00.001-05:00

Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler

Explanation: Why is this galaxy so discombobulated? Usually, galaxies this topsy-turvy result from a recent collision with a neighboring galaxy. Spiral galaxy NGC 1313, however, appears to be alone. Brightly lit with new and blue massive stars, star formation appears so rampant in NGC 1313 that it has been labeled a starburst galaxy. Strange features of NGC 1313 include that its spiral arms are lopsided and its rotational axis is not at the center of the nuclear bar. Pictured above, NGC 1313 spans about 50,000 light years and lies only about 15 million light years away toward the constellation of the Reticle (Reticulum). Continued numerical modeling of galaxies like NGC 1313 might shed some light on its unusual nature.

Falwell's Mini-Me carries on

2010-04-01T23:48:00.001-05:00

I don’t have enough time to write a decent commentary on this, but thought it needed to be posted. You can read the article and discuss amongst yourselves.

Chancellor Falwell Is Trying To Turn Tax-Exempt Liberty University Into A Partisan Political Machine – And Dominate Lynchburg Elections. Will The IRS Step In?

Will the IRS step in? They damn well better!