" The voice that evangelicals reported hearing, Luhrmann says, was altogether different: "There's a pattern of reporting those experiences that was different from what people with schizophrenia reported, and I'm persuaded that it's the result of this practice that they do." "

So Archie comics will be having a gay wedding issue, and the AFA is having a shit hemorrhage over it.

" “Most Israelis at the time assumed the Haredim would die off in one generation,” said Jonathan Rosenblum, a Haredi writer.

" Instead, they have multiplied, joined government coalitions and won subsidies and exemptions for children, housing and Torah study. They now number a million, a mostly poor community in an otherwise fairly well-off country of 7.8 million.

" They have generally stayed out of the normal Israeli politics of war and peace, often staying neutral on the Palestinian question and focusing their deal-making on the material and spiritual needs of their constituents. Politically they have edged rightward in recent years.

" In other words, while rejecting the state, the ultra-Orthodox have survived by making deals with it. And while dismissing the group, successive governments — whether run by the left or the right — have survived by trading subsidies for its votes. Now each has to live with the other, and the resulting friction is hard to contain.

" “The coexistence between the two is breaking down,” said Arye Carmon, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem research organization. “It is an extreme danger.”

" Mr. Carmon compared the strictly religious Jews of Israel to the Islamists in the Arab world, saying that there was a similar dynamic at play in Egypt, with tensions growing between the secular forces that led the revolution and the Islamic parties now rising to prominence. "

" In Beit Shemesh and elsewhere across the country, some ultra-Orthodox Jews have tried to impose a kind of communal piety—a strict code of behavior that includes gender segregation on buses, with men in the front and women in the back. For most Israelis, this zealousness is off-putting. Founded by secular Jews who envisaged a modern, egalitarian state, Israel has all the trappings of a liberal society: progressive laws and cutting-edge universities, women in bikinis and women in business and politics. But it also has a fast-growing community that shuns modernity and views the world through the narrow prism of biblical warrant. Once a tiny minority, ultra-Orthodox Jews—also known as Haredim—now make up more than 10 percent of Israel’s population and 21 percent of all primary-school students. With the community’s fertility rate hovering at more than three times that of other Israeli Jews, demographers project that by 2034, about one in five Israelis will be ultra-Orthodox. "

"What are you boys demonstrating about today?"

Also the "California Security Council" is involved. It seems to consist of just one angry dude.

Remember the Koran-burning Florida pastor? He's coming to UC Irvine.

This October, let's remember the reason for the season.

RT @ebertchicago: Meanwhile, during the Prayer Rally, a much larger crowd was gathering nearby...

" Brigham Young University students must gather the intellectual and moral resources to combat abortion, same-sex marriage and moral relativity, Oxford University philosophy professor Daniel Robinson said Monday before a capacity crowd of more than 200 in the Lee Library Auditorium. "

" "They've gotten more involved in the party," said Norm Pawlewski, a lobbyist for the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. "I've seen a change in the kind of people who are volunteering — and not only volunteering but working." "

" Here in Iowa, whose caucuses next winter will open the campaign, social and religious conservatives are pressing the likely candidates on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion rather than on jobs, the budget deficit and other economic concerns that leaders of both parties expect to dominate the general election. "

" Socially conservative Republicans were unhappy with the House version of immigration reform and GOP leadership's opposition to open carry gun laws, but were placated somewhat by the passage of right-to-life legislation banning embryonic stem cell research, furthering restrictions on abortion and declaring that life begins at the moment of fertilization.

" Conservative Christians were unable to advance legislation questioning evolution and promoting the Biblical version of creation, but were successful in promoting the embryonic stem cell research ban. The measure's author, Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, based his argument for the bill on Scripture frequently cited by pro-life advocates. "

" They warn Catholics against giving to or working with the March of Dimes, UNICEF, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an anti-breast cancer organization or Crop Walk, which is promoted largely by Lutheran churches in the state. It’s not because of those organizations’ main work, but because they also support abortion rights, contraception or stem cell research, the bishops say.

" Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, also is named by the bishops on their do-not-give-to list. "

Elijah Friedeman: " Yesterday, Bryan Fischer posted a blog about how American Indians disqualified themselves from any claim to land in America by their sexual immorality and violence. I want to officially reject and distance myself from that viewpoint. "

" But I could use a miraculous cure for Parkinson’s, too, as could millions of others around the world who have the disease or will develop it. And the main force preventing such a miracle is the Roman Catholic Church. The most likely source of miraculous cures for all sorts of diseases, with Parkinson’s foremost among them, is stem cell research. "

" All of which made Violent J's announcement a few years ago really quite astonishing: Insane Clown Posse have this entire time secretly been evangelical Christians. They've only been pretending to be brutal and sadistic to trick their fans into believing in God. They released a song, Thy Unveiling, that spelt out the revelation beyond all doubt "

for the next time Shoebat is invited to UCI

" At the moment much of the nation believes that the Religious Right is in retreat. Not so. The Religious Right is reorganizing and rearming, much of it under the banner of Charismatic Dominionism. "

" He has parlayed a 13th-century Catholic philosophy into real political influence. ... Karl Rove told me he considers George a rising star on the right and a leading voice in persuading President George W. Bush to restrict embryonic stem-cell research. ... With the death of the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, a Lutheran minister turned Roman Catholic priest who helped bring evangelicals and Catholics together into a political movement, George has assumed his mantle as the reigning brain of the Christian right. "

" Unpredictability inflicts a heavy cost on scientific progress, whether in domains like stem-cell research or in searching for safe alternative fuels. It damages the United States’ competitive position because great projects won’t be completed here, and more importantly, great people won’t do the kind of work that is necessary to make progress on our most intractable challenges. "

See Berger's takedown of the 1996 First Things symposium (Linker, The Theocons, p. 102, 108) for the limits of this professed concern with democratic sovereignty. " Sorry, this not a scientocracy. The people’s views–and the law–matter in federal scientific funding, just as they do in other important societal endeavors. "

" Former AFA employees describe Wildmon—who led the organization until just last year—as an autocratic micromanager incapable of socializing with or showing empathy for his own employees. "

" While he doesn’t have the standing within the conservative community – or near the number of listeners -- that Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Michael Savage has, Fischer is rapidly ascending the ladder of hate-charged kookiness. As might be expected, the weirder Fischer gets, the more mainstream media coverage he garners. "

Bryan Fisher: " The secularist wants to excuse and even reward irresponsibility, which eventually makes everybody less safe and less prosperous. A Christian worldview rewards responsibility and stresses individual responsibility and accountability, which in the end makes everybody more safe and more prosperous. "

The excised Gospel of Psycho Boy Jesus, or "Which manger is mine? The one that says Bad Motherfucker!"

" In the original, God cursed the Lamanites for their unbelief by turning their skin black; in the new, improved version, God just curses them, with no mention skin color. "

" So how did Fischer respond? By writing a new post accusing the SPLC of engaging in the "propagation of known falsehoods" about homosexuality ... and simply restating the very same points that the SPLC had already debunked: "

" Like many other movements, the Catholic Right is not monolithic. But within the diversity, there are nevertheless two main schools of thought: Paleo-conservative and neoconservative. "

" What we are seeing is a new religion, expressed through an engineering culture. ... If technologists are creating their own ultramodern religion, and it is one in which people are told to wait politely as their very souls are made obsolete, we might expect further and worsening tensions. "

" At the headquarters, each day can bring a series of “meetings”: interrogation and therapy sessions that can last a half-hour or all night, depending on the issue or offense. “When you first come around, they’re very light. They say, `It’s a messed-up world, we want to show you how fortunate you are to have come to MOVE,”’ Lori Allen said. “But the longer you’re around, the harder and heavier and more intense they get – if you have a certain look in your eyes, they will have a meeting on you,” she added. “You’re constantly being told you’re racist, you’re bigoted, you’re not good enough, strong enough or loyal enough. You could never measure up, because you’ve never met John Africa.” "

So you won't mind at all if I plant a big ol' statue of Odin in your garden sanctuary, then.

"The cult, an umbrella organization based in New York, goes by names such as the Provisional Communist Party and the National Labor Federation, abbreviated as NatlFed. Historically, the stated goal of NatlFed is one that would likely even discomfit the Bay Area liberals the organization targets for recruiting: the violent overthrow of the U.S. government."

"The Times is not alone in wondering why the group has not already been investigated. An increasing number of people, including this writer and many other Catholics are asking the very same question. "

"At a time when Muslim doctors and engineers stand accused of attempting atrocities in the expectation of supernatural reward, when the Catholic Church still preaches the sinfulness of condom use in villages devastated by AIDS, when the president of the United States repeatedly vetoes the most promising medical research for religious reasons, much depends on the scientific community presenting a united front against the forces of unreason."

"Viewed from abroad, "The Language of God" will be seen as another reason to wonder about the fate of American society. Indeed, it is rare that one sees the thumbprint of historical contingency so visible on the lens of intellectual discourse. This is an American book, attesting to American ignorance, written for Americans who believe that ignorance is stronger than death. Reading it should provoke feelings of collective guilt in any sensitive secularist. We should be ashamed that this book was written in our own time. "

" Most scientists who study the human mind are convinced that minds are the products of brains, and brains are the products of evolution. Dr. Collins takes a different approach: he insists that at some moment in the development of our species God inserted crucial components — including an immortal soul, free will, the moral law, spiritual hunger, genuine altruism, etc. ... Dr. Collins has written that “science offers no answers to the most pressing questions of human existence” and that “the claims of atheistic materialism must be steadfastly resisted.” "

"When Barack Obama moved into the Oval Office in January, he inherited a military not just drained by a two-front war overseas but fighting a third battle on the home front, a subtle civil war over its own soul. On one side are the majority of military personnel, professionals who regardless of their faith or lack thereof simply want to get their jobs done; on the other is a small but powerful movement of Christian soldiers concentrated in the officer corps."

"Although President Obama addressed the Muslim world this month in an attempt to undo the Bush administration's legacy of militant Christian rhetoric that often antagonized Muslim countries, several recent stories have framed the issue as a wider problem of an evangelical military culture that sees spreading Christianity as part of its mission."

"At roughly 50 minutes into the talk, Wagner launched into an explanation of how the nation of Japan was collectively demonized, and the Japanese economy undermined, because the Japanese emperor had intercourse with a territorial demon called the Sun Goddess who, Wagner speculates, may be a succubus."

"O'Brien warns that the globalization we are currently experiencing has the unprecedented potential for bringing about a one-world government, with the subsequent dangers to individual and national freedoms."

"He is indeed a powerful manipulator of crowds, even as he appears ever so humble and wholesomely charming. I doubt that he is the long-prophesied ruler of the world, but I also believe that he is a carrier of a deadly moral virus, indeed a kind of anti-apostle spreading concepts and agendas that are not only anti-Christ but anti-human as well."

"Guidelines issued by the committee on doctrine at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops warn healthcare workers and chaplains that the therapy "lacks scientific credibility" and could expose people to "malevolent forces"."

"Founded in 1993 by the Fordham-educated Reilly, the Society claims it is dedicated to strengthening Catholic identity at America’s Catholic colleges and universities. In reality, as Cardinal Newman rolls over in his recently relocated grave, Reilly uses the cardinal’s good name to promote the idea of university as Catholic madrassa."

"the whole matter has been blown out of proportion by the press, who have been taken in by a small group that makes a lot of noise—usually to no avail. ... The Cardinal Newman Society... this small group, founded by Patrick J. Reilly, monitors speakers, professors, students, and organizations on all the campuses and squeals every time its version of Catholic orthodoxy is transgressed."

"Hey Sinners, My name is Mark, and I love every single one of you. All of you are slothful, faithless, lost sheep who spend every second of their day looking at lust-filled pictures. You embrace everything bad in the world. Honestly, have any of you ever gotten any Jesus? I mean, I guess it's fun making fun of people because of your own atheism, but you all take to a whole new level. This is even worse than jerking off to pictures on RichardDawkins.net. Don't be a stranger. Just hit me with your best shot. I'm pretty much perfected. I was captain of the chastity team, and starter on my praise team. What prayers do you offer, other than "send me naked drawn Japanese people"? I also got turned straight, and have a simple quiet girlfriend (She just baked me cookies; Stuff was SO cash). You are all sinners who should just redeem yourselves. Thanks for listening. Pic Related: It's me and my pookie"

"How could any self-respecting Christians vote for Sarah Palin if she is getting political advice from a man who believe Jesus molested little boys, had sex with men and belongs to an organization which not only advocates abortion, but forces them on its most devout members? They’d have to be NUTS to follow that bizarre train of logic."

"U.S. Army Chaplains serve both God and country by bringing their unique gifts with which they are endowed by God, to the Soldiers of our nation in the broad, challenging, diverse, and ever changing environment of the Army. ... Qualified and sent by their religious bodies, trained by the U.S. Army, and led by the God that they serve, Army Chaplains are expected to exercise dynamic and influential spiritual leadership, without violating their faith or conscience. Army Chaplains are the 'soul and conscience' of our nation's Army."

"Retired barber Joe Godlewski says that when television chefs recommended kosher salt in recipes, he wondered, "What the heck's the matter with Christian salt?""

"There are some pretty amazing, yet basic, sociological practices and lessons to be learned from the Book of Leviticus. Very smart authors."

Abortion caused the Australia fires: "Nalliah did not demur from recalling the prophetic vision and its message, and he expressed again that God's "conditional protection" has been removed from Australia, and in particular Victoria, for condoning the killing of the unborn."

"Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International and an exorcist, spoke at a luncheon hosted by In His Sign Network (IHS). He is an exorcist authorized to perform exorcisms in several states, and highlighted the connection between the abortion industry and demonic influence."

Draws parallels between anti-abortion beliefs and secular animal rights beliefs.

"The following is an email from one decorated combat officer, a man with the courage to repeatedly put his life on the line on the battlefield, being wounded twice, but who could not muster the courage to resist the pressure of his "serious and committed born again Christian" commanding officer to applaud Rick Warren."

"The theme of freedom of choice is replete in the Gathas. In Yasna 30, verse 2, Zarathushtra urges mankind to decide with “sucha manangha” (an open mind) and make a clear choice “avaenata” (between the two paths) of good or evil:"

"The Movement for Secular Humanistic Judaism and Naamat -- the working women's organization have determined that their joint primary goal for the year 2001 will be activist promotion and advocacy for free choice in marriage and divorce."

"On many accounts, the idea of "Freedom of Choice" seems a self-evident truth. ... But no sooner do we attempt to scratch the surface of this self-evident truth, that a flood of questions, paradoxes, absurdities and dilemmas overwhelm us. "

ALL founder Judy Brown: "The use of the phrase 'freedom of choice' by any corporation, particularly when used to coincide with President-elect Obama's inauguration, is offensive and demeaning to the millions who have suffered either directly or indirectly through abortion." ... "'Freedom of choice' is a phrase created by the pro-abortion movement for the express purpose of having to set aside any discussion of the baby"

Oh you had me at the "World of Warcraft" opening music. Raid hint: when you're clearing the house of yard trash, killing the non-aggressive mobs doesn't give xp and hurts your faction.

"the complete lack of youth programs that are not Christianity-based, leaving our non-Christian military parents with the dilemma of either turning their kids over to Christian evangelists or having to explain to them why they can't participate in all the fun and exciting activities, events, and trips with the other kids"

Remember the true legacy of that other President from Illinois, Abraham "Pro-Life" Lincoln. Wait. Huh?

OH NOES SOUP IS TEH GAY "The Campbell's Soup Company has placed double-page ads, promoting their Swanson line of broth, in the December 2008 and January 2009 issues of The Advocate, the US's largest homosexual magazine. One of the ads features two female restaurateurs and a young boy, identifying the women as "partners," with the boy presumably being the son of one of the women."

"Of headline importance, this book will be seen to positively rule out the popular Big Bang model of creation! ... (Researchers opposing Big Bang cosmology are frequently ostracized and refused publication.) An example of this bias would be the author's own experience. During his student days his thesis, "A Revised Concept of Radiation Propagation," was rejected..."

It's also seven reasons why most Americans are not Christian, evidently. Also, the "commission" by all appearances consists of just two men, one of whom no longer participates.