"Look, in the future, here’s a good tip for stuff like this: If you are worried that we secularists are trying to destroy your way of life, come ask us."

Dominionism, basically.

"I don’t know which is more dangerous, that religious beliefs force some people to choose between knowledge and myth or that pointing out how religion can purvey ignorance is taboo."

so sad.

"We eventually discovered that the domain has been seized because the content of our website, in their opinion, fell outside of Libyan Islamic/Sharia Law."

"Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day." think I've read this before. still awesome.

interesting interview with then State Senator Obama about religion. I can respect someone who grew up in a mixed religious environment, and synthesized that into his own thing.

"For several decades, the Jewish establishment has asked American Jews to check their liberalism at Zionism’s door, and now, to their horror, they are finding that many young Jews have checked their Zionism instead."

it's been ages since I've read any Dave Winer, but this strikes a chord with me.

"Kinkade's word is as worthless as his artwork." hahahaha. also: "Hazlewood and Spinello sued [...] alleging that he'd used his Christian faith as a tool to fraudulently induce them to invest"

on usury in the modern world.

I remember watching that episode -- I think in the common room of my dorm freshman year. I HATED the treatment she got on the following week's episode. :(

"For the past year, this Bible Belt city of 200,000 has been consumed by a culture clash between Repent Amarillo and their targets, a list that includes everything from gay bars to liberal churches."

cute.

mostly changing OMG to OMS. :) reminds me of that South Park where Cartman goes into the future, one of my faves.

why can't all marriage licenses be "self-uniting"?!

to watch later. via shelley.

"Today, our priest gave a long sermon against FOCA [Freedom of Choice Act] and requested that we fill out post cards to our federal representatives stating our opposition. This is the most politicized mass I've ever attended, one that I hope the origin of was from earnest and well meaning ignorance, not cynical politicing." Bleh. Okay, yeah, now I remember: that's one of the 8917 reasons I left the church. (I had no idea Emmett was Catholic!)

"Some evidence suggests that Christmas itself was merely a reappropriation of the pagan festival of Saturnalia. If that is in fact the case, my godless Christmas is more an insult to ancient Romans than to Christians. Since there aren't too many of them left, I won't let it worry me." The last couple of years, I've taken to telling people that I celebrate Christmas as the Japanese do (or at least as my popular understanding of that), which is to say that it's all about the aesthetics.

beautiful photos of Jefferson's bible editing project. I read about it in a book I read over the summer about the founding fathers & religion, which gave me a new appreciation of the complexity of their thought & the religious environment of the Revolutionary Era.

I have noticed this also with the fundie churches...keeping the kiddies away from actual Halloween!

"Inspired by the discussion, someone spontaneously sings out, "There is no end to this song, there is no end." The high priestess glares. Eventually, the debate is resolved simply because everyone is sick of talking about it." heh.

"I Hate to Play the I-Just-Watched-My-Mother-Die Card—But, Um, I Just Watched My Mother Die" Dan Savage's mom & I-1000.

omg. Dr. Bronner quote generator! (via AskMe)

"For us, [Roger] Williams is important above all as a conversation partner whose humane insights can inform our own divisive debates."

Huckabee wigs me out.

"I’d hold a press conference and say that ONLY an atheist should be president, in the same way you want a eunuch to guard your harem." - as usual, very very weird, and yet, quite funny, and also: shockingly true.

surprisingly thoughtful -- even deep -- responses.

split-screen animation; I hadn't heard anybody else mention the clever narrative styles. surprising!

gah. and/or, WTF?

"I hereby declare the interviewees the two most articulate teenagers on the internet." which may not be saying much :) but still entirely fascinating

woefully silly.

"Inside America's most powerful megachurch with Pastor Ted Haggard" -- originally published May 2005. fascinating. scary.

"I'm not ready to declare victory until our schools are teaching only two subjects: Religion and Gym." satirelicious!

that would sure be nice.....

"the percentage of adults who were unsure increased, from 7 to 21 percent" -- that's what that "teach the controversy crap" does to us. fscking embarassing.

"It should be readily available over the counter. And it should actually be on the shelves of pharmacies that are mysteriously out of stock."

"It turns out the state may be far ahead of the federal government, but not nearly as far out of the mid-20th century as thought." Editorial from the PI

Seattle PI -- note that it's an AP story, too!

"why is it so important to you to police other people's pants?" -- comment in response to article about Plan B. best. quote. ever.

My life is not sad or empty, decayed or cynical, flat or leaden, detached or cold or dead [...] merely because I decline to base my life on a belief in mystical energy.

interesting stuff, until it goes all crazy at the end.... "An overpowering nostalgia afflicts the American post-Christian, for whom the American journey has neither goal nor purpose." oooookaaaaay....

"But asking Jesus if He exists would present us with the kind of complex ontological paradox that you rarely see on quiz shows" -- for Kat & Joe (who are right now driving across California)