Lord J-Bar For Democracy, Not Theocracy

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At Least We Can Stay "In" the Country
2007-03-08 00:13:00
Here's a little something that will make your hang your head in disgust. From a reader in Soldotna, Alaska, this letter was published in the Peninsula Clarion (click on the picture to see it clearer):I shouldn't even waste my time to address any of this, but I can't help myself. First, if you must do something, then that is not freedom. In fact it's compulsion, which is the opposite of freedom.Second, "In God We Trust" was not added to our money until the Civil War. Even then, it appeared sporatically until the national motto was changed from "E Pluribus Unim" to "In God We Trust" in the 1950's to show those dirty communists that America has morals (sigh).Third, how does having prayer in school actually solve any problems? Please, I would like to hear a good, rational explanation for that one.Fourth, I don't know what evil it is we practice since we don't actually practice anything. That's part of being an atheist. However, if thinking rationally about the world is evi...
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The Proper Way to Counter the "Hitler and Stalin Were Atheists" Argument
2007-03-07 17:15:00
Alonzo Fyfe of Athiest Ethicist recently addressed the proper way to counter the tired "Hitler and Stalin were atheists" arguments. Fyfe correctly argues that finding evidence that Hitler and Stalin were actually theists is irrelevent. In reality, it's just the same flawed argument in reverse or like saying all theists are bad because of the Crusades and the Inquisition. Instead, Fyfe takes the following tack:My sound-byte answer: "I'm sorry, but blaming me for the crimes of Hitler and Stalin is like blaming the Amish – or blaming you, by honorable adversary – for 9-11.” If my opponent will grant me a few more seconds, I would add, “You would certainly object if I were to accuse you of being responsible for these crimes. You would scream that any who would make such an assertion is bigoted and unjust. You would be right. Such a person is, in fact, bigoted and unjust. So is the person who blames all atheists for the crimes of Stalin.”It's an excellent read, and I e...
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Thoughts on the Jesus Tomb
2007-03-05 13:35:00
Last night I watched the Discovery Channel documentary on the supposed tomb of Jesu s . Initially, the evidence seemed fairly convincing...until I really thought about it (damn filmmakers making me feel the way they want me to). Plus, the critical debate afterwards was far more enlightening since the viewer got to see a couple of actual archaeologists speak on the subject. They brought up several concerns I hadn't considered. Another reason why one should always listen to the professionals. Of course, after the archaeologists came the theologians. Basically, their argument was, "This doesn't agree with my interpretation of the Bible, so you're wrong." I got bored with this part rather quickly and found something more productive to do. Okay, fine, I watched Scrubs.Anyway, these are my major concerns with the film:1. The conclusion that Mariamne Mara is Mary Magdalene is based on a copy of the Acts of Phillip (one of the books excluded from the New Testament) that was found ...
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Ann Coulter Is Real Classy
2007-03-05 04:14:00
Ann Coulter always amazes me with how easily she turns crass, obnoxious slurs into eloquent terms for a political debate. Except it still sounds crass and obnoxious.As you might have heard, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter showed her insidiousness once again at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. At the end of her speech she made the following comment:“I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.”After a short pause, the audience then erupted in applause. Here's a video of the incident:Now, I'm all for Coulter being able to say whatever she wants. It's her right. However, this sort of name-calling is exactly what's wrong with Coulter and politics today. First off, Edwards is not gay, so it has no basis in reality. Second and more importantly, the term ...
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James Cameron Found Jesus!
2007-03-02 17:11:00
No, he hasn't been born again, but he does have a new documentary coming out this Sunday on the Discovery Channel where he claims to have conclusively identified Jesu s ' final resting place. However, I'm skeptical about the whole thing.Sure, I don't think Jesus' body disappeared and ascended into heaven, and I'm sure his remains are out there in Israel somewhere. I just don't think enough evidence would exist to prove it one way or another. It not like he was royalty or anything, so his final resting place would be a little difficult to distinguish from the countless others out there. Plus, Cameron 's documentary claims ot have used DNA evidence to validate the claim. Right. To use DNA for establishing a person's identity, one needs to have a known sample to compare it to. Where did they get Jesus' DNA to make the comparison? Did the researchers get a priest, some wine, some crackers, and have a communion? Or maybe the Da Vinci Code was right and they found the long...
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What a Terrible Doctor
2007-02-27 16:29:00
A pediatrician in Bakersfield, California recently denied a child treatment for her ear infection because her parents had tattoos. Why should that matter? Because the doctor wanted to create a "Christian atmosphere" for his patients.I can't even find the words to describe how angry this makes me feel. I mean sweet Jesus, aren't doctors supposed to help people?! Even then, this "doctor" punished the child for something she had no control over. What a loser. I bet he claims ot be the exemplar of Christian charity, but then he refuses to give a child medical treatment because her parents have a bit of ink in their skin. How does the presence of a person with tattoos ruin the "Christian atmosphere"? How does it make them less worthy as a person? Please, I wish someone would explain this to me, because it makes no sense to me whatsoever.Man, this pisses me off. Just another prime example of religion making someone a judgmental asshole for no good reason. Then again, it might...
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Here's a Good Sign: Religious Right Can't Find a Republican Presidential Ca
2007-02-26 22:10:00
On Saturday, the New York Times had an interesting article on the Religious Right's current political woes. After a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a group comprised of several leading Fundamentalist Christian leaders, they all agreed on one thing: they don't have a winning Republican to support.Obviously, they can't turn to Democrats since the RR has painted them as evil baby killers. That might look too hypocritical (never say never, right?). However, the leading Republican candidates aren't much better from a Fundamentalist Christian's point of view. McCain, despite his recent pandering, was pro-choice in 2000, so that leaves him out. Guliani is currently pro-choice and pro-gay rights, so he's definitely out. Romney is a Mormon, a religion that most fundamentalists view as a cult, so they can't support him either. Of course, Brownback, Huckabee, and Sanford all say the right things to soothe the RR's ears. Too bad they're losers and are lagging far beh...
More About: Residential , President , Presidential , Public

Case to Watch: Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation
2007-02-25 17:45:00
This Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear the oral arguments for Hein v. Free dom From Religion Foundation . The purpose of this case is to challenge the Bush administration's appropriation of funds raised from taxpayers to religious groups in such projects as the "Faith-Based Initiatives". The Bush adminisration's side will argue that they used general operating funds for these initiatives and that taxpayers cannot challenge such action.I have one word for the administration's stand on this: bullshit. The day US citizens can't challenge the government's use of their taxes is the day the government no longer belongs to the people. Basically, the administration is saying the the law does not apply to its actions since only it knows the people's best interests. It's downright scary.Of course, this has been happening for some time, but the Faith-Based Initiatives are one of the most flagrant manifestations of this lawlessness. Even though the money given to religious group...
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Another Reason Religion is Not for Me
2007-02-24 17:40:00
This bit of news shows just how dangerous faith can become. Last week in Pakistan, female government minister Zilla Huma Usman was shot in the head right before deliviering a speech. Why did the man shoot her? Because she refused to wear a veil and she's a woman in politics. So the man who murdered her, Mohammad Sarwar, decided to end another human being's life because the woman wasn't wearing a scrap of cloth over her head and tried to enjoy some semblance of equality. Dispicable.Even more frightening is Mohammed's complete lack of remorse:I have no regrets. I just obeyed Allah’s commandment. I will kill all those women who do not follow the right path, if I am freed again.The police statement also said:He considers it contrary to the teachings of Allah for a woman to become a minister or a ruler. That’s why he committed this action.The worst part is that, religiously speaking, Mohammed is completely justified in his actions. That's why he has no remorse. The ...
More About: Religion , Other , Ligi , Reason , Another

Book of the Month: Monkey Girl
2007-02-23 01:17:00
If you want the definitive history of the Kitzmiller v. Dover School Board trial, then Edward Humes' Monk ey Girl : Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul is the book you need.First off, the book is one of the most enjoyable non-fiction books I've read in a long time. It reads like a court drama in the way that Humes interweaves the various events leading up to the trial and fleshes out the people involved. Even the account of the trial itself is remarkably entertaining, especially when he discusses Eric Rothschild's cross examination of Michael Behe. It's one of the few times in an actual trial where you'll see a Hollywood style "Gotcha!" moment, and Humes describes it beautifully.Even though Humes establishes which side of the issue he supports early on, he never demonizes those on the side of Intelligent Design. He carefully describes every major player in this drama, allowing the reader to better connect with the real person behind each name. ...
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William Dembski Needs to Stick to Math
2007-02-22 23:45:00
Here’s a great example of when you should understand what you’re criticizing before you criticize it. Will iam Dembski, one of the leading proponents of Intelligent Design recently left a post on his blog, Uncommon Descent, where he makes two arguments that vestigial structures in organisms are better evidence for design than evolution. Yes, you read that right. Dembski thinks that evolution would never have vestigial structures. Here’s his first argument: Vestigial structures in biology are commonly cited as evidence for evolution, and it may well be that they did evolve. But if it is evidence of evolution, it is evolution in the wrong direction — it’s not the sort of function enhancing/innovating evolution that is supposed to give evolutionary theory its bite. Vestigial structures, after all, are structures that have lost their function. If all of evolution proceeded in this fashion, we’d quickly descend to a world of nonfunctionality. Like most creationists, ...
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Rep. Chisum Needs to Check his Sources
2007-02-22 00:29:00
A couple of weeks ago, I told you about Texas state representative Warren Chisum and how he distributed a memo to the rest of the state house claiming that modern science is nothing more than a Jewish cult, and that the website fixedearth.com proves it (you should check the website out, but be ready for the obnoxious clash of text colors and the even more obnoxious ideas). More importantly, the website has a number of anti-semitic remarks. This, as the Dallas Morning News reports, quickly caused Chisum to change his tune. In his defense, Chisum said: "The stuff that causes conflicts between religious beliefs, you know, I'd never be a party to that. I'm willing to apologize if I've offended anyone."How absent-minded can you be? He officially distributed something without even checking the information it contained. Is he really that desperate to remove evolution that he distributes the first thing that comes across his desk? Good job Texas, this is one of the men making your...
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Quote of the Week
2007-02-21 17:40:00
"Seek those who seek the truth. Avoid those who have found it."- Anonymous
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Bush Knows Nothing About History
2007-02-20 00:25:00
MSNBC had an article today that caught my eye titled "Bush Compares War on Terror to US Revolution." My first thought was, "How do you figure?" Then there was this mind-numbingly stupid quote from Bush:“And as we work to advance the cause of freedom around the world, we remember that the father of our country believed that the freedoms we secured in our revolution were not meant for Americans alone.”I about pulled my hair out at this point. Washington was a strict isolationist. And I mean strict. He felt that America should have nothing to do with the rest of the world, much less try and spread democracy throughout it. No, he wanted freedom for his own nation, and the rest of the world could deal with their own problems. Besides, if you want to draw any parallels between the Revolution and Iraq, then we'd look more like the British. Unfortunate as it may be, we're the ones trying to impose an unpopular government one the people. No, Washington would punch Bush in the ...
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Carnival of the Godless #60
2007-02-19 06:33:00
">Carnival of the God less is up at Brent Rasmussen's Unscrewing the Inscrutable. There's some good stuff there (including a little something from yours truly), so check it out.
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Repeal the Military Commissions Act!
2007-02-18 04:47:00
A while a go I wrote a post concerning the Military Commission s Act and the negative implications it would have on Habeas Corpus. Well, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) is now sponsoring a new bill called the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 that would repeal the Military Commissions Act and restore Habeas Corpus. From Senator Dodd's website: On Tuesday, I re-introduced the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007. The bill will restore Habeas Corpus protections to detainees, bar information acquired through torture from being introduced as evidence in trials, and limit presidential authority to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions.Also, Dodd released a YouTube video to further explain the bill:Please, go here and take the time to become a citizen co-sponsor of the bill and help end this unethical travesty that the 109th Congress and President Bush have brought us. Help this country once again become a nation of law that obeys the rules of the Geneva C...
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