Link: Anti-Gay Marriage Ad

Just a few links I saw during the week, but couldn’t post due to lack of time…

Divine irony

The two wings of theology, one making God immanent, something to be understood as analogous to ourselves, and one making Him transcendent, beyond spatio-temporal physical understanding, cannot be reconciled. The believer has to oscillate incoherently from one to the other.

Faith and Reason

One of the constantly bewildering aspects of living on planet Earth is the assumption that most human beings seem to make that faith (usually, but not necessarily, the religious variety) is a virtue. This bizarre attitude — just to add insult to injury — often comes coupled with the equally strange idea that somehow too much reason is bad for you. Why?

And my favorite, especially when it comes to talking to my students…

Retro Talk or Dumbing Down

A couple of months ago, I was having dinner with some new friends who are only a decade or so younger than I. While we were discussing the bank bailouts and Wall Street disaster, I was met with blank stares when I said that trying to find an honest man in lower Manhattan these days made one feel like Diogenes. At another dinner a couple of decades ago, a friend who is a well-known cartoonist, told me he’d had a cartoon rejected by the humor editor of a major magazine because, said the editor, these days no one knows who Sisyphus was.

Pope won’t be silenced on condoms stance: Vatican

The Vatican has denounced criticism of the Pope’s remarks against the use of condoms, saying the Pontiff will not be intimidated into silence. A Vatican spokesman says Pope Pope Benedict XVI will continue to sustain the positions of the Catholic Church with strength and courage. Last month on a visit to Africa, the Pope said that condoms are not the answer to AIDS, and could even make the problem worse. AIDS “is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems,” the pontiff said. The solution lies in a “spiritual and human awakening” and “friendship for those who suffer,” he said. Southern Africa bears a disproportionate share of the global HIV burden, with 35 per cent of the world’s new infections and 38 per cent of AIDS deaths in 2007. Several countries, including France and Germany, have called the remarks irresponsible and dangerous. Belgian parliament yesterday passed a resolution calling the comments unacceptable and demanded that the government officially protest.

Oh yes, the reason why the criticisms were leveled was because people just wanted to “intimidate” the Nazi-Ratzi.

Or, it could be that he’s just a fucking dildo who should read a medical book before opening his mouth:

Consistent condom use is associated with a reduction in the incidence of HIV infection of approximately 80%. It does not increase the problem. I know the Catholic church is reliant on the denial of human nature, something demonstrated regularly by the activities of its own priests, but at some point they have to recognize a simple reality: people like to have sex. You aren’t going to talk them out of it without warping their psychology in a truly pathological way (again, witness the Catholic priesthood), but you might be able to get them to practice sex in a way that protects their health.

So, yes, keep claiming that people are just trying to “silence” and “intimidate” the pope (xians are always good with the whole victim-bullshit) — instead of just pointing out that he’s a fucking moron.

Just a few people have been making this happen in certain areas of the country and the world. Imagine what we could do if we all got involved.

Atheist Bus Campaign Launches in Indiana!

I thought I posted this one already — but I can’t find it…
Whatever, it still makes me laugh…

Link: Priest Off

Now some Xians are really getting desperate if they feel they need to resort to stunts like SoulWow.com and this latest gimmick, Pastor in a Box.

H/T to J-walk blog

“This might be cheesy, but what can I say? I am passionate about the church getting out and being the church, not just within our walls, but outside of them as well. It’s time for the church to get out of the box and let our world know that we serve a great God and have fun doing it.” – Ben Dailey

If Calvary Church breaks the 4,000 attendance barrier Sunday, April 12th and Sunday, April 19th Ben will sacrifice all the comforts of common daily life, make his way to the roof of Calvary Church, overlooking Highway 161, and reside in a ‘roomy’ 6×6x6 foot plexi-glass box for three days and nights. He will enter the box on April 26th at 7:00pm and exit the box April 29th at 7:00pm.

If he gets enough people to show up to put him in the box, how long do you think he will survive inside a plexiglass box in the searing sunshine? He could end up poaching himself.

This video, brought to my attention by The Atheist Jew is frightening. It’s obvious this dude had more than a few screws loose. It’s also a good example of why we must be very careful to protect our personal identity and information in the blogosphere.

From The Atheist Blogger:

Video link

For those familiar with the atheist/Christian & evolution/creation debates on YouTube, you will have probably come across the user Tony48219, real name Anthony Powell. He ranted about Evolution and atheism, using repeatedly debunked arguments, and was a fanboy of VenomFangX. Anthony Powell shot and killed fellow student and YouTuber Asia McGowan last Friday, before turning the shotgun on himself.

In a recent video, Tony48219 (YouTube account now suspended) had told viewers he had no reason to live, and that he would kill himself with a shotgun. His parents said he had had problems with depression, but didn’t like taking his medicine.

Very disturbing.

This is what theists always do, they manipulate things to make it seem as if they are somehow coming out a “winner” in the eyes of other theists everywhere. Now some dipshit is claiming that the atheist bus campaign actually “served God’s cause”.

Atheist ad campaign backfired, papal preacher says

It’s what they do…manipulate reality and LIE.

A CAMPAIGN promoting atheism on London buses this year ultimately “served God’s cause” by reminding people of the importance of faith, especially to those who suffer, a top papal preacher says.

Buses bearing the slogan “There’s probably no God. Now enjoy your life!” hit the streets of London in January and the atheist publicity stunt was replicated in other cities, attracting widespread media coverage.

“We should almost thank the people who promoted that advertising campaign. It has served God’s cause more than so many of our apologetic arguments,” said Father Raniero Cantalamessa, who is officially Preacher of the Papal Household.

“It has demonstrated the poverty of their reasons and has helped stir so many sleeping consciences,” he added

Fr Cantanlamessa was preaching in St Peter’s Basilica in the presence of Pope Benedict on Good Friday, in one of the main services ahead of Easter, climax of the Christian year.

“Stirred so many sleeping consciences”? He fails to report how many of those “sleeping consciences” woke up to reason and how many atheists were glad to see someone finally advertising a counterpoint to the superstitious beliefs that we find absurd.