American Freethought

Yet another reason to wonder about Sarah Palin.  Wasilla Bible Church, Palin’s home church, has a program designed to “pray away the gay.”  I mean, it’s one thing for an informed, consenting adult to submit himself to some church’s de-gay-ifying protocols (which won’t work, I suspect, any more than abstinence-only sex ed worked for Palin’s daughter).  But it’s another thing entirely when you’ve got a high public official sitting in the pews and apparently giving her tacit approval.  I’m willing to bet there’s no way Palin backs off her church’s stance if she’s ever called on it.  (Unlike Obama, who after some wringing of hands eventually bailed on Jeremiah Wright, to his credit.)

University of Central Florida student senator Webster Cook, who sparked a furor a few weeks ago by making off with a Eucharist during an on-campus Catholic Mass, has been removed from office after a committee hearing.  While I hate to hear pinheads like Blowhard Bill Donohue and His Catholic League crowing over this “victory”, I have to conclude that Cook kinda had it coming.  I agree with Cook’s objection to university-funded religious services being held on campus, but I do not think that disrupting such meetings is the way to fight it.

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Saddleback Civil Forum - On August 16, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain appeared on stage together at Saddleback Church to be questioned by Pastor Rick “Purpose Driven” Warren.  We analyze their performance, especially on matters of church-and-state.  But really, is it so much to ask our candidates to please please please stop the kowtowing to religious types?

My Fundamentalist Friend -  David recounts his recent conversation with a Christian co-worker.  The man has more patience than I.  Oy.
 
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 Podcast #24 - Saddleback Forum: Download (1475)

…Lord knows we’ve haven’t heard enough about the candidates’ religion!  Really, I can’t think of the last time McCain or Obama muttered something about the Savior or their faith-walk.

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Why settle for a dry, tasteless cracker, when you can have a tasty Cheeto?  A woman in Missouri has discovered a Cheeto that looks like Jesus on the Cross.

Amazingly, this isn’t the first time such a thing has happened.  Back in March, a Methodist youth director in Texas found another Cheeto that looks like Jesus (a paraplegic Jesus at that, but the less said the better).  The man displays this not-so-holy relic, which he dubs “Cheesus”, in his office bookcase.  Classy!

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Webster Cook, the University of Central Florida student at the center of the Eucharist controversy, gives his version of events on Freethought Radio.  Here’s the link.

PZ Myers - We talk to the University of Minnesota Morris biologist and author of the popular science blog Pharyngula [scienceblogs.com/pharyngula].  Dr. Myers is an atheist whose outspokenness often raises the hackles of fundamentalists.  His recent missives on the controversy centering on University of Central Florida student Webster Cook’s “stealing” of a Eucharist wafer has brought him to the attention of Blowhard Bill Donahue and his Catholic League.

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 American Freethought Podcast #22: Download (2808)

To protest university funding of on-campus religious services, University of Central Florida Student Senator Webster Cook “stole” a Eucharist during a Mass on June 29th.  Drilling down to Cook’s precise motives and exactly what happened can get complicated, but there’s a pretty good account of it here:

http://www.wftv.com/news/16798008/detail.html

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South Carolina Approves I Believe License Plates - The SC legislature just approved specialty license plates that include the words “I Believe” along with a Christian cross and a stained glass window.  Florida tried the same trick and failed.  We’ll talk to Herb Silverman, longtime SC resident and president of the Secular Coalition for America (www.secular.org), about their opposition to this.

City Halls Display In God We Trust - A listener in California alerted us to a movement intent on convincing city councils across the country to display the national motto.  The fact that the motto is “In God We Trust” has nothing whatsoever to do with religion, of course.

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 American Freethought Podcast #19: Download (1705)

The Catholic Church - We provide an overview on the good, the bad and the crazy aspects of the Roman Catholic Church.  Purgatory.  Limbo.  Whatever.

Ben Stein - The frontman for the anti-science documentary Expelled opens his mouth and removes all doubt.  He appeared on Trinity Broadcasting Network on April 21, 2008 and made some outrageous statements. [Link]

Meanwhile, we stumbled across The Mortal Storm, a 1940 movie starring Jimmy Stewart that addresses, among other things, just how (un)scientific the Nazi outlook was. [Link]

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 American Freethought Podcast #18: Download (1833)