American Freethought

Point #1: When abstinence-only education fails, what’s Plan B?  Oh yeah, there’s no Plan B.

I have no idea what to make of the rumors floating around that Palin’s fifth child is actually her grandchild.  Whether or not it’s true is largely immaterial to me; it’s a family matter.  Nonetheless, if it turns out it is true and if it turns out the Palins concealed this truth from McCain’s vetting committee…

More problematic is the new revelation that Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is pregnant and that she plans to marry the boyfriend who is the father.  Again, this would normally be a family matter I would care nothing about, but… this is a governor who advocates abstinence only sex education in public schools.  (more…)

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)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080601/ap_on_el_pr/obama

This was inevitable.  I would say it’s about time, but that would imply that Barack Obama spent the last 20 years at Trinity and didn’t know it was a showcase for black-power, white-conspiracy rhetoric.  (Cue Claude Rains shouting “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”) 

I don’t blame Jeremiah Wright for the controversy - I blame Barack Obama.  As much of a pinhead as he is, Jeremiah Wright does what he does and makes no excuses.  It’s Obama who’s now running from the consequences of his actions.

Let’s hope that between this and the somewhat overlooked McCain/Hagee brouhaha that our presidential candidates will start to focus on the issues and quit trying to impress us with their “I’m a church-goin’ man (or woman)” baloney.  Say what you will about Hillary’s mistakes, at least she’s only made watery, vague pronouncements about her “faith walk” and hasn’t dredged up some sectarian grandee who’s bound to start pissing people off.

Controversies Galore - We take a look at the ongoing feud between Senator Barack Obama and his former pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  To see Wright’s National Press Club appearance start here [link].

Not only is John McCain kowtowing to the worst elements of the Religious Right, he’s also a superstitious nut [link].

Why was President Ellen Johnson fired from American Atheists Inc.?  The leadership has issued vague and contradictory statements.  We’re not asking them to wallow in the mud, but it would be nice if they gave their membership and the taxpaying public a straightforward explanation.  Visit nogodblog.com for more (or less) info.

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 American Freethought Podcast #17: Download (2086)

Listen to American Freethought’s John Snider and David Driscoll as guests on the 3/31/2008 episode of The Reason-Driven Podcast, a show which steps chapter-by-chapter through Robert M. Price’s engaging book The Reason-Driven Life.   We discuss Chapter 20 “Healing Religious Divisions”, which encourages freethinkers to engage in friendly, intellectually honest debate with believers, and to try to find common causes which don’t involve religion. 

Price wrote The Reason-Driven Life as a counterpoint to Robert Warren’s bestselling The Purpose-Driven Life, which claims that everything happens in accordance with God’s Divine Plan. 

Thanks to Danny Schade and the Reason-Driven Crew for having us on the ‘cast!

News Item Potpourri

- Mike Huckabee wants to amend the Constitution to conform with God’s laws.  Archbishop Earl Paulk fined and given 10 years’ probation for perjury.  Colorado lawmaker Douglas Bruce kicks a photographer during a prayer service.  A Muslim teen athlete’s uniform violate’s track federation rules.  The Kite Runner movie is banned in Afghanistan.  And Matthew McConaughey says “God bless evolution.”

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 American Freethought Podcast #8: Download (1473)

by John C. Snider © 2008

We conclude our interview with singer/songwriter Susan Werner, whose latest album The Gospel Truth is an unusual collection of songs that combine”the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  In Part One (The Genesis of The Gospel Truth) she discusses what motivated her to launch this project.  In Part Two (Reactions and Revelations) she talks about the fan response and what she learned about herself in the process.  In this third and final installment, she looks to what she might say about the future of America in her upcoming work.

Learn more about her on the web at www.SusanWerner.com.

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by John C. Snider © 2008

We continue our interview with singer/songwriter Susan Werner, whose latest album The Gospel Truth is an unusual collection of songs that combine”the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  In this second installment, she talks about the response of fans to this (as far as we can tell) unique artistic project.

Learn more about her on the web at www.SusanWerner.com.

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by John C. Snider © 2008

Singer/songwriter Susan Werner has been on the music scene for over fifteen years.  She has toured nearly constantly and released seven successful albums (including I Can’t Be New, her delightful homage to Tin Pan Alley), and despite consistent critical acclaim and positive audience response, she flies just under the mainstream radar.  Her output is eclectic, but generally skews to the soft side: jazz, folk, lounge, easy listening - Werner is difficult to pin down.  Equally at home with guitar and piano, she possesses a clear voice and a head for clever lyrics and biting satire (she’s opened for such diverse acts as Madeleine Peyroux and George Carlin).

Werner’s latest album is The Gospel Truth, released in February 2007, a unique collection of songs that combine “the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  Musically, each offering sounds like something that could have been pulled from any Protestant hymnal or sung by an African-American choir, but in the finest tradition of folk and the blues, the lyrics express indignation, hope, and calls for social justice. 

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Five Questions with Nathaniel Branden (Author of The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem)
 
by John C. Snider © 2007
 
[Ayn Rand’s magnum opus Atlas Shrugged turns 50 this month.  Objectivists are celebrating, and CSPAN 2 recently devoted several hours of programming to discussions about the late Rand and her literary/philosophical influence.  Nearly a quarter centery after her death, Rand is still stirring up controversy, and despite her staunch atheism, she is generally unpopular amongst modern-day freethinkers because of her cult-like aura and unflinchingly pro-capitalist stance.  I add to the celebration in reprinting two articles I’ve written over the years that touch on the Randian legacy: an essay titled “But Is It Science Fiction? Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged”, originally published in May 2000 in my online magazine scifidimensions.com; and an interview I conducted with one-time Rand confidante Nathaniel Branden, originally published in the April 2005 issue of The Eudaimonist.]
 
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