We discuss the Essential Freethought Library, the result of a poll of dozens of notable personalities in the freethought community. We asked them one simple question: “What ten books must the well-read freethinker have read?”
Podcast #97 - The Essential Freethought Library [64:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3699)
I got this message from singer/songwriter Monty Harper. Sounds like a project worthy of our support!
“Songs From the Science Frontier” will be a CD of unique science songs for kids ages 8-12, and I’m using Kickstarter.com to try and raise the money to make a really top-flight recording.
The songs are unique because they focus on every-day scientists and current scientific research.
Specific topics include phototaxic bacteria, stress hormones, wheat genomics, bacterial biofilms, bat taxonomy, x-ray crystallography, and luminescence dating! The deeper messages are that science is a process done by real people; science is important, cool, fun, and relevant; and science belongs to everyone!
Would you check out my three-minute pitch video on kickstarter.com?
Here’s the link:
http://tinyurl.com/2d4nsylI need an insane number of people to see the website and make pledges in order to reach my funding goal.
My deadline is August 21. If I don’t reach the goal by then, I won’t get any money at all and I’ll have to put the project on hold.
I’m hoping you’ll find this to be worthy of your support, and worth a mention on American Freethought.
Thanks!!!
—
Please help make “Songs From the Science Frontier” a reality!
Pre-order here:
http://tinyurl.com/2d4nsylMonty Harper
Award-Winning Children’s Songwriter
Stillwater, OK
monty@montyharper.com
(405) 624-3805
We discuss the latest novel from Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass), which re-imagines Jesus Christ as twin brothers named “Jesus” and “Christ.” The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is published in hardcover by Canongate and in unabridged audio by Brilliance Audio.
Listen to our discussion of the movie adaptation of The Golden Compass from way back in podcast #3.
Podcast #92 - The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ [35:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2671)I almost feel sorry for the Pope these days. Okay, not really. Honestly, I would love to be a fly on the wall when Ratzinger reads “Bringing the Vatican to Justice,” the latest essay from Sam Harris. It’s a scathing summary, couched in the bluntest yet most eloquent language possible, of just how scandalous the Catholic church’s cover-up of pedophile priests has been.
Meanwhile, Ratzinger himself is admitting–finally–that the church’s problems are self-inflicted, and not the result of some anti-Catholic conspiracy. “The greatest persecution of the church doesn’t come from enemies on the outside but is born from the sins within the church.” The Pope added, “The church needs to profoundly relearn penitence, accept purification, learn forgiveness but also justice…Forgiveness cannot substitute justice.” Whether justice means BOTH removing abusive priests from their positions AND turning them over to secular authorities for trial remains to be seen.
I’m packing up to head to Newark for the American Atheists convention this weekend, but meanwhile, here’s a blast from the past. Waaay back in August 2002, I (John C. Snider) interviewed Michael Newdow when he was just hitting the national scene with his first lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.
And to get the Christian perspective on this issue, I interviewed Dr. Bob Allred, who at the time was pastor of Atlanta First United Methodist Church (the oldest church in Atlanta). Dr. Allred went on to pastor at at least one other church in the metro area, but I lost track of him two or three years ago. This interview is also from 2002.
My apologies if the sound quality of these interviews isn’t as good as it could be; my apologies also if my delivery is flat and/or less-than-professional. This was an early, early experiment in internet broadcasting, certainly predating the podcasting phenomenon by several years. In any case, I hope you find it an interesting and enlightening listening experience. Enjoy!
Information about the Catholic Church’s worldwide, decades-long cover-up of priestly abuse of children is emerging so often and so quickly, I could spend my whole time on this blog just trying to stay abreast. Fortunately, Yahoo! News has a pretty good rundown of recent developments.
It’s too much to hope for that Ratzinger will be toppled by this scandal: he’s too influential, being a head of state and head of a powerful religious sect. And speaking of religious sects, can you imagine how long the head of a worldwide franchise of secular daycare centers would last if similar information came out? At any rate, expect the Pope to keep up the rope-a-dope, and his apologists to continue to make pitiful excuses and live in abject denial. Alas.
A man in New Jersey is accused of raping and beating his five daughters over a 15-year period, fathering as many as six children through them as a result. Did I mention these gals were homeschooled?
Why? Because he had convinced himself there was no god and he could indulge himself with impunity.
Ah, who am I kidding? It’s because he had apocalyptic visions that (according to his wife), “the world was going to end and it was just going to be him and his offspring and that he was chosen.”
Now, I’m not saying this nut was motivated by religion. But I am pointing out how telling it is that nuts almost never have delusions about there being no god. I’m also pointing out how the understandable reluctance of authorities to split up families often leads to years of abuse, neglect and death.
That said, I seriously doubt any jury–Christian or otherwise–is going to cut this guy much slack. I just hope his daughters can salvage what’s left of their lives.
I’m not opposed to homeschooling on general principle. I think it’s possible for reasonably intelligent parents to provide their children a decent education at home. Unfortunately, in the United States the word “homeschooler” has an incredibly strong correlation with “evangelical brainwasher.” This recent news article reveals that the vast majority of American homeschoolers do so, not because they think they are better at teaching math at home, but rather for religious reasons. Indeed, as the article discusses, there’s a frightening number of publishers who put out textbooks that are really just delivery systems for fundamentalist propaganda–especially when it comes to evolution. Alas.
Margaret Downey (former president of Atheist Alliance International, now a “freethought free agent”) announces the formation of the Unity 2013 Event Committee. What is Unity 2013? Nobody knows just yet, but what we do know is that it’ll be big, it has the blessing of such notables as Daniel Dennett, and it’ll involve many (if not most) of the major freethought-friendly organizations. To keep abreast of the details as they unfold, check out the Unity 2013 Facebook page.
Catholic scandal: Are these guys reading the same news?
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010Hardly a day goes by that we don’t read something new about the worldwide, decades long scandal involving the Catholic Church and sexual abuse cover-ups. What seems obvious to me is that there has been a persistent, consistent pattern of conspiracy–from the top down–to hide the wrongdoing of priests, and a resistance to and resentment of the idea that civil authorities might prosecute suspects who happen to be, um, employees of the Catholic Church. Anyway…
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Tags: bill donohue, catholic church, catholic league, eye of sauron, sex scandal
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