Happy Blasphemy Day International

Blasphemy Day International was created in 2009 to coincide with the anniversary of the publication of satirical cartoons of the prophet Muhammad by a Denmark newspaper in 2005, and the furor those cartoons later sparked within the international Islamic community.  Seriously.  137 people were killed in protests around the world.  The original cartoonists had bounties placed upon their heads.

Even within the United States, six states (Massachusetts, Wyoming, Michigan, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania) still have anti-blasphemy laws on the books.  While blasphemy is punishable by death in most Middle Eastern countries, many Western nations still have anti-blasphemy laws.  21 other European nations have "religious insult" laws in place.

Let me just say, I am 100% for blasphemy.  If someone can tell my kid that the Easter Bunny doesn't exist, then I should be able to say that neither does your imaginary friend that controls the weather.  You know, there's a term for someone that has conversations with somebody that doesn't exist.  I believe it's called schizophrenic.

And in 2011, when people blame everything on god, from their stance on gay marriage, to their decision on running for President, they're not Christian.  They're mental.  They should not be applauded.  They should be put in a straight jacket and locked away.

OK.  Stepping down from my soapbox, now.  Sorry.  Here is a photo to celebrate the day.

Best.  Photo.  EVER.

I also wanted to include a video of one of my favorite songs.  As I left the church, this song became more meaningful to me growing up.  It's blasphemous as all hell (no pun intended), but as someone who later in life started to identify themselves as an atheist, it really spoke volumes as to the way I felt about god.

Twenty-some-odd years after hearing it for the first time, and I still get goosebumps.  

So, that's my take on blasphemy.  Really?  Did you expect anything less?  Was is Thomas Jefferson that said, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism"?  If that's the case, then consider me a religious patriot.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to consult my daughter's sock monkey on some important, life changing decisions that need to be made in upcoming days.

Video: Alabama Judge Gives Criminals Option Of Church Or Jail Time

Last week, a judge in Bay Minette, Alabama, has started to offer non-violent offenders the option of going to church for 52 consecutive Sundays, in lieu of time in jail.  Nearly 60 churches in the area, from a variety of denominations, are participating in the program.



Thank you, but I'll pass.  Besides, I've been told that the orange jail uniforms really bring out my eyes.

Man Attacks Helicopter With Ax, 'Fulfilling Bible Prophecy'?

In "I couldn't make this up if I tried" news, an Australian man was arrested yesterday, after attacking an Army helicopter with an ax at a Queensland airport.  The helicopter, described as a Tiger helicopter, sustained damage after the barrage.

57 year old Bryan Law is currently in custody on charges of willful damage, trespassing and possession of a garden ax and bolt cutters.  He is reportedly part of a group that opposes a joint Australian-U.S. military exercise being conducted in the area.  

In regards to the attack, Law said, "In a new and symbolic way, I was fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Isaiah: 'They will beat their swords into ploughshares; their spears into pruning hooks."

I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy didn't involve beating the shit out of a helicopter with an ax.

Video: What Rednecks Are Thankful For

To quote Will Ferrell in 'Talladega Nights', "Does that blow your mind?  That just happened!"  I am so embarrassed this morning to be White.



I think this guy was influenced by the Ricky Bobby's prayers at the dinner table...



He knows that the movie was a comedy, right?

Graph: Contradictions In The Bible

The Reason Project released a fascinating graph a couple of months ago documenting the contradictions found in the Bible.  With each contradiction, an arch is placed on the graph connecting the two scriptures.  There are a lot of red lines.  439 instances, many with multiple contradictions.  Of course, this isn't news to some people.

Getting High On The Holy Spirit?

John Crowder, a U.S. preacher, and self-proclaimed mystic and "Youtube Prophet", goes around the world literally getting people high on Jesus.  He stands on stage and pretends to shoot up heroin or smoke a joint, starts acting high, and then encourages the audience to start shooting up as well.  He's telling people to, and I'm quoting here, "Take a toke of the Jehovajuana".

What?!?  People take this seriously?!?  He's making a living pretending to be a "tweaker for Christ"?  Current TV did a half hour piece on this guy and his followers.  It's amazing to see what people will be desperate enough to believe these days.

I'm Smarter Than The Average Atheist

....and blow Christians away with my knowledge.  Yesterday, I posted a story about a new Pew survey testing American's knowledge of religion.  Today, the Christian Science Monitor has published the 32 questions the were asked in the survey.  According to the study, atheists scored higher than any other religious affiliation with an average score of 20.9 correct answers.  The average participant scored 16 out of 32 correct.

I took the test earlier today and had a score of 29.  Not bad, considering I was forbidden to investigate any other religions growing up.

Survey: Atheists Know Most About Religion

A survey from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that atheists and agnostics know more about religion than Christians.  The study found that atheists and agnostics tend to be generally well educated, and that the most knowledgeable people were also the best educated.  However, atheists and agnostics outperformed equally educated Christians in the survey.

60% of Protestants did not know that Martin Luther was the driving force behind the Protestant Reformation.  40% of Catholics didn't understand the symbolism of holy Communion.  Talk about "blind faith".  However, eight in ten surveyed knew that Mother Teresa was Catholic, and seven in ten knew that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.  Surprisingly, Mormons were the most knowledgeable regarding the New Testament.

The survey also tested people's knowledge in general.  Can you believe 4% of people actually said that Stephen King wrote Moby Dick?

Support For Gays In The Military Depends On How You Ask The Question

CBS News released an interesting poll last week. In it, they polled two groups of people and asked the same question, "Do you favor or oppose BLANK serving in the military?" With one group, they used the term "homosexuals", and with the other, they used the term "gay men and lesbians". The results were fascinating. When using the term "gay men and lesbians" people were more likely to say favor or strongly favor. Take a look at the results:



They also asked, "Do you favor or oppose BLANK being allowed to serve openly?" Here is what they found:



Why the difference? Some think ingrained prejudice. Years of church sermons have given people a prejudice toward the word "homosexual" that they normally wouldn't have toward "gay" or "lesbian". Homosexual, then, becomes a more negative sounding word.

I remember growing up, being told by my mother never to use the gay or lesbian, because "those are the words they want to be called". "God calls them homosexuals. That's what you call them." I never had the balls to tell my mom that God didn't speak Latin, so for all we know he could have called them cantaloupes using that line of thinking.

What about you? Think about it. Do you support homosexuals in the military? Or gays and lesbians in the military? Or both?

Study Finds Witnesses Can't Keep Their Members

A new report from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life was released last week which had some interesting information on Americans and religion. In it, it revealed that nearly three quarters of Buddhists in the U.S. were converts. And, only one in three Buddhists were Asian.

Most interesting to me was this tidbit: only 37% of those raised as Jehovah's Witnesses as children identified themselves as Witnesses as adults. I would be willing to say that a large chunk of the remaining 37% still call themselves Witnesses due to the fact that they're afraid to lose everything they have. It was the reason I stayed in as long as I did. I knew the things that I was preaching were wrong. I felt that I had to stay in to keep my family. I am glad to see that I am part of the 63% that was able to get out.

File Under: Oh Dear God!

A Baptist church in Canton, NC, is starting a new tradition this Halloween. They're having a good, old fashioned book burning. OK. So...nothing new. This one is different though. These guys are burning bibles. Yes, you read correctly, BIBLES; probably causing God himself to rest his head in his hands, shake his head, and say "Jesus Christ".

They consider all translations of the bible other than the King James to be inferior, and therefore, satanic. Not only are they burning bibles, but they're also lighting up books by authors such as Billy Graham, the Dalai Lama, and Mother Teresa, CDs of christian music, and many other "satanic" items.

The Associated Press covered the story and interviewed the pastor, one Marc Grizzard. He was nice enough to show up on camera wearing his Sunday best, a white t-shirt and overalls. I honestly do not know if the AP was intentionally making jokes at the pastor's expense, but I did notice something pretty funny in the video. At the :41 mark, the reporter uses the words "spells it out" just as the camera pans over the word "contempory" on the announcement. I think the word he was going for was "contemporary". At this point, I can't even tell if I spelled it correctly, but my spell check hasn't underlined it.

Interesting side point: At the :12-:15 mark in the video, you see the NWT mentioned. That stands for the "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" aka The Jehovah's Witness bible. Personally, based on my experience, that translation has been tampered with, primarily with the addition of "God's name" added in places that it was uncalled for or didn't exist. So, Mr. Grizzard, you can burn all of that particular "contempory" translation you would like you. Oh, and could you throw in a couple of Amy Grant CDs in for me? Thanks.