* Rep. Monique Davis' Un-American Rant ...

Representative tries to put the fear of God in Atheist!

Chicago Tribune
by Eric Zorn
April 6, 2008

Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted atheist activist Rob Sherman during his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield and told him, "What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it's dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!

"This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God," Davis said. "Get out of that seat . . . You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon."

Also see: Richard Dawkins, "Get out of here, Atheists!

* Minister of Magic

J.K. Rowling speaks of fundamentalists who tear down the Harry Potter series as being a work of the Devil:

"Fundamentalism is, 'I will not open my mind to look on your side of the argument at all. I won't read it, I won't look at it, I'm too frightened'. That's what's dangerous about it," she continues, "whether it be politically extreme, religiously extreme.... In fact fundamentalists across all the major religious, if you put them in a room, they'd have bags in common. They hate all the same things, it's such an ironic thing." Full article ...

* Ram sez, "Let my people go."

Hindu Extremists in India Forcibly ‘Re-Convert’ Christians

Believers lured to temple in Himachal Pradesh, pressured to deny their faith.

by Surinder Kaur Lal

... “I was forced to participate in the Hindu rituals, and I could not resist the force in the temple because of the massive crowd surrounding us,” he said. As part of the purification ceremony, Christians were made to have their feet washed and to drink Gangajal, the water of the River Ganges ... Christian News Report

The Bombing of Nagasaki August 9, 1945: The Untold Story

By Gary G. Kohls

08/09/07 "Lew Rockwell" --- 62 years ago, on August 9th, 1945, the second of the only two atomic bombs (a plutonium bomb) ever used as instruments of aggressive war (against essentially defenseless civilian populations) was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, by an all-Christian bomb crew. The well-trained American soldiers were only "doing their job," and they did it efficiently.

...

A large portion of the responsibility for the prevention of military atrocities like Nagasaki lies within the organized Christian churches and whether or not they soon start teaching and living what the radical nonviolent Jesus taught and lived.

The next Nagasaki can be prevented if the churches finally heed Jesus’ call to nonviolence and refuse their government’s call for the bodies and souls of their sons and daughters.

Full article ...



My question is: would atheists/agnostics have created this horror?

* Reach Out in Faith ~ Voodoo Edition

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

Fatal end to exorcism attempt: man dies after struggle with police checking on girl's welfare

by Elias C. Arnold
July 29, 2007

"A 48-year-old Phoenix man whom authorities say was choking his 3-year-old granddaughter during an exorcism early Saturday died after struggling with police officers who went into the home to investigate, Phoenix police said.

"Police reportedly found Ronald Marquez, of Phoenix, shirtless and choking his granddaughter as her 19-year-old mother, naked and bloody, looked on. The bloodied girl was gasping and screaming as her mother chanted and held a religious picture of some kind, police said.

"It's very bizarre, (a) very unusual and pretty horrific situation this young child was involved in," said Sgt. Joel Tranter, a Phoenix police spokesman."

...

"The man held the girl in a headlock with one arm as he was squeezing her torso with his other arm, causing her to gasp and scream, police said.

"Investigators later learned the man was trying to "squeeze the demons out of the young girl," Tranter said."

See also: Chicago Sun-Times, CBS News, Washington Post

~ BlogHer: Exorcism is a silly and apparently deadly religious ritual. Accounts of fatalities can be found here

Faiths opposing exorcism

In Sikhism, exorcism is not permitted and is seen as a violation of the Sikh Rehat Maryada (Code of Conduct), since Sikhs do not believe in demons, ghosts, or the sort. If a Sikh person were to be found practising exorcism, an ordained Ghiyanhi (priest) would have the power to strip that individual of any ties to the Sikh faith. This anti-exorcism stance separates Sikhism from what are viewed as the exorcism rituals of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Taoism, and Shintoism.

Also, Jainism does not believe in exorcism.

Begin research ...
A Bit of Exorcist History

flickr photo

~ The God Debate with Rev. Al Sharpton & Christopher Hitchens

The God Debate, June 28, 2007: Chris Matthews moderated a special debate on the existence of God between Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Transcript

Avram Noam Chomsky has called the Bible "probably the most genocidal book ever written." Noting polls that show large percentages of Americans believing the Bible, he lamented that, "the figures are shocking. Three-quarters of the American population literally believe in religious miracles. The numbers who believe in the devil, in resurrection, in God doing this and that--it's astonishing. These numbers aren't duplicated anywhere else in the industrial world. You'd have to maybe to to mosques in Iran or do a poll among old ladies in Sicily to get numbers like this. Yet this is the American population."

Who's Who in Hell: A Handbook of International Directory for Humanists, Freethinkers, Naturalists, Rationalists, and Non-Theists, Warren Allen Smith, (2000), p. 208

Cross-reference METAXY for more on Noam Chomsky

Cartoon from gapingvoid.com

* Artist's Work Destroyed by Russian Orthodox Churchgoers

Russian-born artist, Alexander Kosolapov, has lived and worked in New York City since 1975 where he has been influenced by Andy Warhol's work. These three pieces are among some of Kosolapov's work that indignant Russian Orthodox churchgoers either damaged, destroyed, or removed from exhibits.



Russian lawsuit testing limits of free expression

by Erika Niedowski,
Sun Foreign Reporter

March 23, 2007

MOSCOW: "Oleg Kassin objected to them all: the portrait of a robed Jesus Christ, his face replaced by a Mickey Mouse head, among his disciples; an icon of a halo-adorned Virgin Mary done in dots made to look like caviar; the photo of a crouched woman in a brassiere, thong and high-heeled boots with her rear to the camera [at the Andrei Sakharov Museum].

"So he and the Russian Orthodox church group to which he belongs went to court this week, claiming not just questionable artistic taste, but an outright crime.

"For the second time in recent years, an exhibit at the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Center has become the object of a legal fight here and a touchstone for debate on the right to - and limits of - free expression in Russia, which, as it turns out, often comes at a cost."
...

"The problem is, they don't want to discuss it," he [the museum's curator, Yerofeyev] said of the Tretyakov's leadership. "They simply say it's forbidden. Maybe they are right; some things should be forbidden. But there should be arguments, professional ones."

The Russian Orthodox church group charges the museum with inciting religious and ethnic hatred. The first time this happened was in March 2005:

Beware of Religion: a Rebirth of Militant Atheism in Moscow

Russian Orthodox Church
by Dmitry Ageev
March 23, 2005

"The exhibition «Beware of religion!» opened in the exhibition hall of the Andrei Sakharov museum in Moscow on January 14, 2003, where a group of artists presented works that were meant to «draw attention to the hypocritical role of religion in the contemporary world». Among these works were: an imitation of a large icon of Christ with a road sign instead of a face; an imitation of an icon of Christ with openings for the face and hands, through which visitors were invited to place their corresponding body parts and be photographed; a billboard with a Coca-Cola logo, depiction of Christ and the inscription «This is My Blood»; a cross covered with garlands of sausages; ... " Read more

While some people may have found the "Caution! Religion" exhibition offensive, Amnesty International does not believe that any of the exhibits portrayed on the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Centre's website amounted to an incitement to violence. Moreover, the use in this case of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code – which is in the section of the criminal code listing crimes against the state – is wholly disproportionate.

Dr. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (Russian: Андре́й Дми́триевич Са́харов) (May 21, 1921 – December 14, 1989) was an eminent Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist. Sakharov was an advocate of civil liberties and reforms in the Soviet Union and was the first Russian to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2005 the Russian Orthodox church wrote, "The exhibition’s organizers who shamed the name of A. Sakharov, himself the grandson of an Orthodox priest, should be severely punished."

The real shame is that we are not surprised at the destruction of an artist's work by Christians.

As to how Dr. Sakharov might respond, "... religion did not play an important role in his life, though he did believe that a non-scientific "guiding principle" governed the universe and human life."* As a champion for human rights and civil liberties I think that Dr. Sakharov would agree with Amnesty International.

* Drell, Sidney D., and Sergei P. Kapitsa (eds.), Sakharov Remembered, pp. 3, 92. New York: Springer, 1991.

The Big Scary List of George W. Bush Quotes

Image from Arg!

* Super Bowl XLI: Get on the Winning Team with Jesus ~ Football, a Religious Experience for Some ~ Churches Cry "Foul"

The holiest of Sabbaths is upon us: Superbowl Sunday. A day to worship beer and hot dogs. A day to pray for your favorite team. A day to enjoy the game on your big screen TV, purchased just in time since the NFL has banned them at churches.

NFL's lawyers sack church's game plan
by Robert King
IndyStar.com
February 1, 2007

"The thousands of churches across the country that want to host Super Bowl parties Sunday night had better not pull out big-screen TVs, or they could face the wrath of NFL attorneys.

"The NFL is telling Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis that the church's plans to use a wall projector to show the game at a party for church members and guests would violate copyright laws.

"NFL officials spotted a promotion of Fall Creek's "Super Bowl Bash" on the church Web site last week and sent pastor John D. Newland a letter -- via FedEx overnight -- demanding the party be canceled."

Fans’ passion turns against NFL over ‘anti-church’ policy

by Michael Foust
Baptist Press
February 2, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS (BP)--"Football fans are up in arms over a National Football League policy that allows bars to host Super Bowl parties but essentially prevents churches from doing so, with some fans saying it once again shows why the NFL is often referred to as the 'No Fun League.'"

Now, how's this gonna work? Both teams have coaches and assistant coaches leading prayers that their team will win. Who is God rooting for?

Superbowl includes faith testimonies

ReligionAndSpirituality.com
January 30, 2007

"Perhaps never before in the 41-year history of pro football's annual culmination of on-field competition and off-the-field festivity have two head coaches and many of their team members been as determined to use their worldwide platform to express the difference their faith in Christ makes in their life.

"Coaches have sold cars and airlines for years [in commercials], so why shouldn't they promote the King of kings and Lord of lords?" said Indianapolis Colts chaplain Ken Johnson, a close friend and prayer partner of Colts head coach Tony Dungy, Baptist Press reported Monday."

Assistant coaches are also spiritual leaders

* The New Messiah ~ Look for His Face in the Guacamole on Your Taco, Mummify it, and Make a Fortune at eBay

flickr

The Sun, UK

Cruise 'is Christ' of Scientology

by Emily Smith,
US Editor
January 23, 2007

"Tom Cruise is the new 'Christ' of Scientology, according to leaders of the cult-like religion.

"The Mission: Impossible star has been told he has been 'chosen' to spread the word of his faith throughout the world.

"And leader David Miscavige believes that in future, Cruise, 44, will be worshipped like Jesus for his work to raise awareness of the religion.

"A source close to the actor, who has risen to one of the church’s top levels, said: “Tom has been told he is Scientology’s Christ-like figure.

“'Like Christ, he’s been criticised for his views. But future generations will realise he was right.'

"Cruise joined the Church of Scientology in the ’80s. Leader L Ron Hubbard claimed humans bear traces of an ancient alien civilisation."

Los Angeles Times: The Scientology Story

* Jesus is Coming Soon? Science is Betting Against Doomsday ~ Peace on Earth

The end of the world is coming ... ?

Chicago Sun-Times

January 5, 2007
by Cathleen Falsani,
Religion Writer

"If poll results released this week are accurate, a quarter of you think it's at least somewhat likely that Jesus Christ will return to Earth this year.

The same Associated Press/AOL News poll showed 46 percent of white evangelical Christians, 17 percent of Roman Catholics and 10 percent of those who described themselves as "nonreligious" believe Christ's return will occur in 2007."

Post Tribulation Rapture

"In Christian eschatology, the Post Tribulation Rapture doctrine is the belief in a combined Resurrection and Rapture (e.g., Resurrection-Rapture) of all believers coming after the Great Tribulation."


FYI, there is an actual Rapture Ready Message Board.

If the Christian god exists then why doesn’t he just send his afterlife lovers directly to heaven instead of giving them a stopover in a world they hate? It seems like such a huge waste of time and a pain in the arse to the rest of us. Just saying.


Peace on Earth
New York Times

by John Tierney
January 30, 2007

"Why bet against doomsday? I give a few reasons in my "Findings" column today (about my wager against a prophet of doom, Martin Rees). If you’d like more cause for cheer, take a look at Edge, the Web site dedicated to a “third culture” bridging the gap between scientists and other intellectuals.

"It recently asked some of the world’s savviest thinkers what they’re optimistic about. Besides waxing about the technological breakthroughs they’re expecting, they point to a heartening development you’d never guess from the headlines: Even though our weapons keep getting deadlier, more people are living in peace.

"The decline of violence is “the most important and under appreciated trend in the history of our species,” writes Steven Pinker, a psychologist at Harvard and the author of The Blank Slate ...”

“Hard as it may be to believe,” notes John Horgan in Edge, “humanity has become much less violent than it used to be. In fact civilization, far from creating the problem of warfare, is apparently helping us to solve it.”

* Christians Silenced by Police for Disturbing the Peace at a Pagan Pride Festival ~ Lawsuit Ensues Over Free Speech Right

ADF-allied attorney files suit on behalf of Christians barred from expressing religious views in Michigan park

People sharing their Christian views at “Pagan Pride Festival” threatened with arrest


January 24, 2007
ADF Media Relations

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan ~ "An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney has filed suit on behalf of a group of Christians who were denied the right to publicly express a religious message. David Ickes and seven other members of the Worldwide Street Preachers’ Fellowship were silenced by police after attempting to speak in a public park in Grand Rapids ..."

"One Christian group member was forcefully pulled from the platform by a second sergeant, handcuffed, and detained in the back of a police vehicle."

They didn't have a permit to speak freely but the Pagans did.

* Mega-Mosque Clash in the UK & Christian Responses

LONDON - Some now call London the “Muslim capital of Europe” since no Western city has more mosques. London could be home to the largest Mosque outside of the Middle East.

The Shadow Cast by a Mega-Mosque

Telegraph.co.UK
by Philip Johnston
September 25, 2006

Plans are for an entire Islamic village, "... this is not any old mosque built to serve the local community. It will be the largest place of worship in Europe, a gigantic three-storey Islamic centre, with schools and other facilities, able to hold at least 40,000 worshippers and up to 70,000 if necessary."

UK: Bad News For Tablighi Mosque Development

Western Resistance
by Giraldus Cambrensis
November 5, 2006

"The Observer reports that the planned mega-mosque at Newham in east London is now encountering opposition from local Muslims. Previously, Christian groups had opposed the development of the mosque ... it has been revealed that the London Olympics [in 2012] will take place at the same time as Ramadan, and this news has upset those who are backing the mosque construction," which is proposed to sit right next door to the Olympic grounds

Plans for Western 'Mega-Mosque' Rouse Concerns

by Jennifer Gold
Christian Post Correspondent
January 10, 2007

"The group behind the development is called Tablighi Jamaat.

"According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tablighi Jamaat has ties to al-Qaeda. In addition, the shoe bomber Richard Reid was associated with Tablighi Jamaat, as were two of the 7/7 bombers who struck London's public transport system in 2005.

"Tablighi Jamaat has come under scrutiny from western security agencies since 9/11. Two years ago, according to The New York Times, a senior FBI anti-terrorism official claimed it was a recruiting ground for al-Qaeda."

My preference is that all religious structures be reassigned to something useful and needed, e.g., homeless shelters. Not an original idea, just a conviction. ~ BlogHer

Islam
Mega-Mosque Plans Could Make London "Muslim Capital of Europe"

Christian Broadcast News (CBN)
by Dale Hurd
January 2007

Spiritual Warfare News

Comments from Christians on "Worthy Boards":

"Anyway, if it is built, I hope somebody plants about 500 pounds of high explosives under the darn thing."

"Think about what you're saying man!! Supporting hate crimes is NOT the way Christians are supposed to conduct themselves. You don't need to like Islam or see it as a valid faith to show some respect for other people. If you think Islam is false, then pray for those who believe in it ... This is not what Jesus wants for us, this is not the message he sent to those who were misled or had been taught falsehoods."

"Nevertheless, I stand by what I said. I hope they blow it to kingdom come, along with the golden domed mosque in Jerusalem. I long for the day when all mosques will be reduced to rubble. All of them. And I don't respect islam. I have no respect for it whatsoever."

"Jesus didn't exactly show much respect for other ways of thinking, did He? Anyway, the desire for the mosque to be destroyed is more a security concern than a religious concern. Islam has always threatened to take over the world. They have shown no desire to live at peace with other faiths. That mega-mosque is indeed a threat to our existence. Didn't you see that the group behind the building are the same ones responsible for the terrorism in Brittain?"

"Oh, I don't support hate crimes in any sense of the word. I don't say I hate the people themselves (muslims). I just hate the mosques, along with the false teachings that they propagate. I hate islam because it sets itself up against faith in Jesus, and attempts to offer a better path for people. This is evil. I don't apologise for hating something that is in opposite teaching to the only way of salvation."

"Islam is a death cult, bend to thier ways or die; even if one does bend to their ways it would not be good enough because they were not born muslim. They cannot get along with their neighbors other faiths or other muslims. Islam is dangerous to all who value life, to obliterate this ideaology is to protect and preserve life. No different then the attack upon Berlin in WWII, we should be more proactive in this 'holy war' than the current PC mindset or we are all doomed."

"They cannot get along with their neighbors other faiths or other muslims. Islam is dangerous."

"As well as being dangerous to others (those who don't subscribe) to their teachings, they are also primarily a danger to themselves - to anyone who takes on board this false teaching and embraces it. If it is wrong in God's eyes, it is wrong. No question, no doubt about it. It is a danger to those who embrace it's philosophy and false teaching, drawing them away from their only means of salvation, and it is a danger (militarily) to the rest of us.

Death to islam!

And this is not a hate crime.

Death to the enemy of God. Death to the enemy of mankind."

"Worthy" headquarters is based in Jerusalem but:

Mail your tax-deductible donations to:
Worthy Ministries
P.O. Box 47711
Baltimore, MD 21244
USA
.

ISLAM
Originally uploaded by Aamir Hafeez Zaidi.

* Christian Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America ~ Chris Hedges

gapingvoid.com

Christian Empire

by Rick Perlstein
New York Times
January 18, 2007



Chris Hedges ~ Wikipedia ~ Who is he?

AMERICAN FASCISTS: The Christian Right and the War on America
by Chris Hedges
Published January 7, 2007

“Hedges published Amercian Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America January 7, 2007 with The Free Press. The Christian right is a movement the former seminarian has criticized in articles such as his cover story in the May 2005 issue of Harpers' magazine called Soldiers of Christ.

“Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize winning NY Times correspondent, has joined up with those who warn us about a possible Theocratic take-over of American society by the Religious Right.

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America is a call to arms against what Hedges sees as the efforts of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and the operators of Trinity Broadcasting Network, among others, to turn the United States into a Christian nation.

“According to Wiener, [Los Angeles Times Book Review] Hedges is not your typical secular humanist out to attack conservative Christianity. He is the son of Christian minister who interacts with the community of religious believers. In short, Hedges has some evidence for his conclusions about the ambitions of the Religious Right.

“Hedges is not your average secular humanist. He knows his Bible. He's the son of a Presbyterian minister and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School ..."

In American Fascists, Hedges reports in fascinating detail what goes on inside the churches, conventions and meeting halls of the Christian right. He attends a "Love Won Out" conference in Boston, sponsored by James Dobson's Focus on the Family, held to "cure" those who are afflicted by "same-sex attraction."

"Hedges also goes to the National Religious Broadcasters annual convention, where 5,500 Christian TV and radio folk gather in Anaheim. And he joins a five-day "Evangelism Explosion" seminar in Florida to learn tactics for converting people to the Christian right's version of Christ. That conference is run by D. James Kennedy, whose "The Coral Ridge Hour" is seen weekly on more than 600 TV stations. There, he and 60 other people learn the sales pitch and how to fake friendship for the potential convert.

“Gathering his evidence, Hedges reaches some disturbing conclusions about these Christian conservatives:

……the goal of the Christian right is "not simply conversion but also eventual recruitment into a political movement to create a Christian nation," where constitutional freedoms would be replaced by biblical law, as interpreted by evangelical leaders. Kennedy has been clear about this goal: "As the vice regents of God," the Florida-based minister has written, "we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government," as well as "our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors … "

“To his credit, Hedges distinguishes between the mainstream Christianity, including a majority of fundamentalists, who do not aim to transform our republic into a theocratic nation, and the ‘Dominionists,’ who do. But he sees some dire consequences, should Christian Dominionists prevail:

Under Christian dominion, Hedges writes, "Labor unions, civil rights laws and public schools will be abolished.... and all those deemed insufficiently Christian will be denied citizenship." The Christian right could come to power, he suggests, if we had "another catastrophic terrorist attack, an economic meltdown or huge environmental disaster." At that point, Hedges asserts, evangelical leaders such as Kennedy, Falwell and Robertson could be "calling for the punishment, detention and quarantining of gays and lesbians — as well as abortionists, Muslims and other nonbelievers."

Thus, Hedges concludes, “the United States today faces an internal threat analogous to that posed by the Nazis in Weimar Germany.”

Professor Wiener, as a good historian, questions these dire predictions:

“There are problems with this analogy. First, democracy in America is much stronger than it was in Weimar Germany in 1933. Nor is the Christian right as widespread or powerful as Hedges suggests. Among conservative Christians who are working class or lower class, "a dramatic majority" voted for Bill Clinton for president — that's the finding of sociologists Andrew Greeley and Michael Hout in their recent book "The Truth About Conservative Christians." A 2004 survey for Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly on PBS found that a majority of evangelicals have an unfavorable view of Falwell and that a significant minority of them are more concerned about jobs and the economy than about abortion and gay marriage. And it isn't as if conservative Christians are the only obstacle to gay marriage: Yes, 85% of white evangelicals oppose gay marriage, but in the general population the figure is 61%. In fact, the differences between today's Christian right and the movements led by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini are greater than the similarities. Hitler was more pagan than Christian. Street violence was a key tactic of Mussolini's Brownshirts; the Christian right has focused on nonviolent demonstrations outside U.S. abortion clinics and on changing laws at the ballot box. And there's a big difference between supporting laws against gay marriage and putting gays in concentration camps.

“In other words, the evidence shows that the majority of the Evangelical Christians and Christian Fundamentalists are not out to turn this country into a theocracy. Professor Wiener has performed a good community service in showing that Hedges overstates the threat that Christian Dominionism poses.“

Is the Religious Right more of a political movement than a religious one? As a political movement, the Religious Right needs to be closely monitored. Warnings about the threat that this political movement poses, issued by such people as Hedges, along with the counter-attacks on the Christian Right by such writers as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, should alert us to their potential threat. But we should not overstate the threat and trap ourselves into over-reacting in ways more damaging than any possible “defeat of the religionists” could justify. Weiner also points out, that Hedges advocates that we must be intolerant of any group that preaches intolerance and thus places its members as "outside the law."

Chris Hedges: War of Shadows

* Congressman Demands Iraqis Be Converted To Christianity

Wonkette
The D.C. Gossip
December 23, 2006

North Carolina's 8th District congressman has a winning plan for Iraq: Convert all the Muslims to Christianity! In the past, only a few brave public intellectuals such as Ann Coulter have offered this only obvious solution to our 3-1/2 year bloodbath occupation of Iraq, so it is a proud moment for America that Representative Robin Hayes is the first politician to deal seriously with our disastrous war.

The only way to make Iraq stable enough for the U.S. to withdraw is by “spreading the message of Jesus Christ, the message of peace on earth, good will towards men. Everything depends on everyone learning about the birth of the Savior" ...

"With this kind of talk Hayes just plays into the hands of Al-Qaeda by confirming what their leaders have always been saying: those American soldiers are just modern Crusaders. He is thereby strengthening the beliefs of terrorists that want to kill every American soldier they come across."

BlueNC

The Faith of George W. Bush, written by Christian author Stephen Mansfield, reveals that Bush's faith has been shown to be at the centre of his political thinking.

An invitation for others to do likewise, like Hayes.

* Bigotry in Religious Political News, Ongoing Saga, "Congressman's Hate Weakens Country."

Virginia Representative, Christian, Refuses To Apologize For Anti-Muslim Remarks

December 21, 2006
Shaveta Bansal
Staff Writer (AHN)

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - "Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) has reportedly refused to apologize for the anti-Muslim remarks he made in a recent letter sent to the 5th District constituents. In the letter, which the Council on American-Islamic Relations labeled as "Islamophobic," the outspoken Congressman denounced the surge in the American Muslim community."

In the letter Goode wrote, "I do not subscribe to using the Quran in any way.

"The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."

The Congressman further wrote, "I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America."

So much for "Peace on Earth." The person Goode is referring to is Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat and the first Muslim elected to Congress. Cross-reference METAXY

Congressman's Hate Weakens Country ~ LiberalOasis

* Jesus Offers the Only True Happiness, Says Pope

Oh my gosh, this is too unbelievable. Nothing new but always amazing. Popes certainly do live in bubbles not to know how many miserable Christians there are and how many joyful and peaceful non-Christians there are in the world. Such naivete is beyond words. This is an example of the kind of attitude that creates rejection of Christianity as a viable world-view for many and is possibly a root trigger for warring and terrorism.

Pope Warns That False Prophets Propose a "Cheap" Salvation
Date: December 20, 2006

"The impression is that many think that God is foreign to their own interests," he told the 8,000 people on hand. "It would seem they have no need of him; they live as if he did not exist and, worse still, as if he were an 'obstacle' that must be removed so they can be fulfilled.

"However, despite its contradictions, anxieties and dramas, and perhaps because of them, today's humanity seeks a way of renewal, of salvation, a Savior and awaits, sometimes unconsciously, the coming of the Lord who renews the world and our lives; the coming of Christ, the only true Redeemer of man and of all men."

Benedict XVI said that "false prophets continue to propose a 'cheap' salvation, which always ends by causing harsh deceptions."

"In fact, the history of the last 50 years shows the search for a 'cheap' Savior and manifests all the disillusions that have derived from it," the Pope continued.

Expectations

"We Christians have the task to spread, with the testimony of life, the truth of Christmas, which Christ brings to all men and women of good will," he said. "On being born in the poverty of the stable, Jesus comes to offer to all the only joy and peace that can satisfy the expectations of the human spirit."

Full article ...

* United States Ranks Next to Turkey on Public Acceptance of Evolution

Chart: the US ranks 33 out of 34, next to the bottom on citizen acceptance of evolution; Turkey ranks 34.

U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution

by Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
10 August 2006

"A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower.

"Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal group of American Christians, the researchers say.

"American Protestantism is more fundamentalist than anybody except perhaps the Islamic fundamentalist, which is why Turkey and we are so close," said study co-author Jon Miller of Michigan State University.

"The researchers combined data from public surveys on evolution collected from 32 European countries, the United States and Japan between 1985 and 2005. Adults in each country were asked whether they thought the statement “Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals,” was true, false, or if they were unsure.

The study found that over the past 20 years:

"The percentage of U.S. adults who accept evolution declined from 45 to 40 percent.

"The percentage overtly rejecting evolution declined from 48 to 39 percent, however.

"And the percentage of adults who were unsure increased, from 7 to 21 percent.

"Of the other countries surveyed, only Turkey ranked lower, with about 25 percent of the population accepting evolution and 75 percent rejecting it. In Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France, 80 percent or more of adults accepted evolution; in Japan, 78 percent of adults did.

"The findings are detailed in the August 11, 2006 issue of the journal Science."
* * *
Creation vs. Darwin takes Muslim twist in Turkey

by Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor
Reuters

Nov 22, 2006 — ISTANBUL (Reuters) - "A lavishly illustrated 'Atlas of Creation' is mysteriously turning up at schools and libraries in Turkey, proclaiming that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is the real root of terrorism.

"Arriving unsolicited by post, the large-format tome offers 768 glossy pages of photographs and easy-to-read text to prove that God created the world with all its species.

"At first sight, it looks like it could be the work of United States creationists, the Christian fundamentalists who believe the world was created in six days as told in the Bible.

"But the author's name, Harun Yahya, reveals the surprise inside. This is Islamic creationism, a richly funded movement based in predominantly Muslim Turkey which has an influence U.S. creationists could only dream of.

"Creationism is so widely accepted here that Turkey placed last in a recent survey of public acceptance of evolution in 34 countries — just behind the United States.

"Darwinism is dead," said Kerim Balci of the Fethullah Gulen network, a moderate Islamic movement with many publications and schools but no link to the creationists who produced the atlas.

"Scientists say pious Muslims in the government, which has its roots in political Islam, are trying to push Turkish education away from its traditionally secular approach.

"Aykut Kence, biology professor at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, said time for discussing evolution had been cut out of class schedules for the eighth grade this year.

"The students will just learn there is a theory called evolution defended by Darwin back in the 19th century," he said. "However, views of Islamic thinkers from the Middle Ages about evolution and creation have been included."

A DOSE OF RELIGION

"Like the Bible, the Koran says God made the world in six days and fashioned the first man, Adam, from dust. Other details vary but the idea is roughly the same.

"But unlike in the West, evolution theory has not undermined the traditional creation story for many Muslims ..."

"Then comes a book-length essay arguing that Darwinism, by stressing the survival of the fittest," has inspired racism, Nazism, communism and terrorism.

"The root of the terrorism that plagues our planet is not any of the divine religions, but atheism, and the expression of atheism in our times (is) Darwinism and materialism," it says."

More from ABC News

All very scarey stuff. See METAXY: Religious Belief and Societal Health. Religion does not lead to a healthier society, rather the opposite. Morality and ethics are apart from religion, i.e., religion is not the source of morality and ethics.

* The Privatization of God ~ Jorge Majfud & Blaise Pascal

The Privatization of God
by Jorge Majfud

Custom-made for the consumer

In the 17th century, the mathematics genius Blaise Pascal wrote that men never do evil with greater pleasure than when they do it with religious conviction. This idea – from a deeply religious man – has taken a variety of different forms since. During the last century, the greatest crimes against humanity were promoted, with pride and passion, in the name of Progress, of Justice and of Freedom. In the name of Love, Puritans and moralists organized hatred, oppression and humiliation; in the name of Life, leaders and prophets spilled death over vast regions of the planet. Presently, God has come to be the main excuse for exercises in hate and death, hiding political ambitions, earthly and infernal interests behind sacred invocations. In this way, by reducing each tragedy on the planet to the millenarian and simplified tradition of the struggle between Good and Evil, of God against the Devil, hatred, violence and death are legitimated. There is no other way to explain how men and women are inclined to pray with fanatical pride and hypocritical humility, as if they were pure angels, models of morality, all the while hiding gunpowder in their clothing, or a check made out to death. And if the leaders are aware of the fraud, their subjects are no less responsible for being stupid, no less culpable for their criminal metaphysical convictions, in the name of God and Morality – when not in the name of a race, of a culture - and from a long tradition, recently on exhibit, custom-fit to the latest in hatred and ambition.

The analysis of the “origin of violence” would be useless if it were produced and consumed only within a university. It should be a problem for the headlines, a problem to be discussed dispassionately in the bars and in the streets. At the same time, we will have to recognize, once again, that we need a genuine dialogue. Not a return to the diplomatic farce, but a dialogue between peoples who have begun dangerously to see one another as enemies, as threats – a disagreement, really, based on a profound and crushing ignorance of the other and of oneself. What is urgent is a painful but courageous dialogue, where each one of us might recognize our prejudice and our self-centeredness. A dialogue that dispenses with the religious fanaticism – both Muslim and Christian – so in vogue these days, with its messianic and moralizing pretensions. A dialogue, in short, to spite the deaf who refuse to hear.

Resource Center of the Americas: Working for Human Rights in the Global Community

Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662) was by no means allowed to rest in peace. He was considered a heretic and, hence, his grave was violated several times by his Catholic adversaries. An account of this can be found ...

The Conversion of Blaise Pascal: A Baroque Novel [Excerpt, PDF]


D. M. Ludwin
Fragment 65

Blaise Pascal ~ Wikipedia
* * *Pascal was a Catholic in his earlier life but I'm not so sure about later. Dan Barker deconverted to atheism and wrote the following in his book, Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist.

Pascal's Wager

God can't be proved. But if God exists, the believer gains everything (heaven) and the unbeliever loses everything (hell). If God doesn't exist, the believer loses nothing and the unbeliever gains nothing. There is therefore everything to gain and nothing to lose by believing in God. ~ Blaise Pascal

"This argument, first formulated by French philosopher Blaise Pascal, is sheer intimidation. It is not a case for a god's existence: it is an argument for belief, based on irrational fear. With this kind of reasoning we should simply pick the religion with the worst hell.

"It is not true that the believer loses nothing. We diminish this life by preferring the myth of an afterlife, and we sacrifice honesty to the maintenance of a lie. Religion demands time, energy and money, draining valuable human resources from the improvement of this world. Religious conformity, a tool of tyrants, is a threat to freedom.

"Nor is it true that the unbeliever gains nothing. Rejecting religion can be a positive liberating experience, gaining perspective and freedom of inquiry. Freethinkers have always been in the forefront of social and moral progress.

"What kind of person would eternally torment an honest doubter? If their god is so unjust, then theists are in as much danger as atheists. Perhaps god will get a perverted thrill from changing his mind and damning everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. Or, inverting the gamble, perhaps god will only save those who have enough courage not to believe!

"Pascal was a Catholic and assumed that the existence of god meant the Christian God. However, the Islamic Allah might be the true god, which turns Pascal's wager into a riskier gamble than intended.

"In any case, a belief in a deity based on fear is not a belief that produces admiration. It does not follow that such a being deserves to be worshipped.

"(See Chapter 12, "What If You're Wrong?" in Losing Faith In Faith: From Preacher To Atheist for a more comprehensive response to Pascal's Wager.)"

Freedom From Religion Foundation