We have seen how Sharia law has been used to justify child rape, stonings, and a wide array of abuses. Now the Interior Ministry of Saudi Arabia has issued a statement that protests for greater freedom and democratic reforms is also an offense against God.
Continue reading “Saudi Interior Ministry: Free Speech Is Offense Against God”
Category: Religion
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Alister McGarth is a Christian theologian and apologist, and Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King’s College, London.
In his latest article, he chides the New Atheists for their adherence to the prison of mere rationality. He argues that reason and science are not enough to discover the depths of reality.
Famed Christian Dior designer John Galliano will face a criminal trial over an alleged anti-Semitic rank against a rival. As previously discussed in a column and a line of blog stories (here and here and here and here), various Western governments have been curtailing free speech by prosecuting blasphemy and speech against various groups. This is an example of that dangerous trend. While the alleged statements are repugnant, these laws cut deeply into free speech.
Continue reading “Ready to Wehr: Famed Designer Galliano To Face Criminal Charges Over Alleged Anti-Semitic Remarks”
When you look at this image, what do you see? It turns out that the Iranian government sees a Zionist conspiracy bent on taking over the 2012 Olympics. The Iranian government has sent a formal letter of protest to the International Olympic Committee objecting that the logo for the 2012 London Olympics spells out “Zion.” This is something of real Rorschach test. When I look at it, I see Mahmoud Ahmadinejad beating a protester in Enghelab square.
Continue reading “Iran Protests Symbol for London Games As Hidden Zionist Message”
It didn’t take long for religious fanatics in the United States to uncover a nugget of prejudicial hate in the ruins of the recent earthquake in New Zealand. Christchurch Quake is registered in Utah and claims that the earthquake was God’s judgment on the people of New Zealand for allowing “lesbians running loose on the South Island as if they own the place.”
Continue reading “U.S. Site Blames New Zealand Earthquake on . . . Gays”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The school board in Giles County, VA, has decided to remove the Ten Commandments posters in all local schools. The Virginia ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation had plaintiffs and threatened lawsuits that the school board would have almost surely lost. The school board decided it could better spend the estimated $300,000 cost of a lawsuit on instruction that wasn’t religious.
Continue reading “Giles County School Board Obeys Constitution”
State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, and state Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, have introduced a bill that would make it a felony to adhere to Sharia law in the state of Tennessee — punishable by 15 years in jail. The facially unconstitutional law would make Tennessee the leading state in the Union in the denial of freedom of religion.
Continue reading “Tennessee Legislators Move To Make Adherence to Sharia Law a Felony”
Afghan women and public interest groups are opposing an effort of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to take over all of the shelters for abused and battered women. You may recall Karzai’s earlier feminist agenda when he initially support the legalization of rape. The new move is viewed as a way for the government to satisfy hardliners in blocking access to some women to shelters. The government is also expected to close some shelters entirely.
Continue reading “Karzai Moves to Take Over (and Shutdown) Women’s Shelters”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
One hundred twelve pound Cassie Herkelman is a historic figure in Iowa high school sports. Though Iowa has allowed girls to compete against boys in wrestling for two decades, Cassie is the first to win a match in Iowa’s legendary state wrestling tourney. The problem, for some, is that she won by forfeit.
Continue reading “Religion Grapples With Sportsmanship In Iowa”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The Right is on a crusade to show that Islam is evil. The use of the attack on Lara Logan to further that agenda is despicable. The assault was almost certainly perpetrated by pro-Mubarak thugs who were sent out to rough up journalists and protestors. Now the Mubarak supporters here in the U.S. are using the attack on Lara Logan to further their own political agenda.
We previously followed the controversy over the nuisance created by a man who erected giant lighted crosses to convert or deter atheists, but succeeded in primarily blocking the sleep of his neighbor. Now, Carl Behr is refusing to take down the crosses by citing his duty to a higher law.
Continue reading “Cross To Behr: Owner Refuses Order To Take Down Atheist-Converting Lighted Crosses”
After previously heralding the Egyptian protests as a triumph for democracy, the Iranian government has made it clear that such demonstrations are best viewed from afar. After cracking down on tens of thousands of protesters yesterday, Iranian legislators are calling for the leaders of the protests to be executed. This followed the announcement that the government will be opening special courts to punish journalists.
Continue reading “Iranian Legislators Call For The Execution of Protest Leaders”
Ann Coulter may have finally found a country with that perfect mix of robust conservative values and restrictions on the free press . Only days after Ann Coulter was met with thunderous applause at CPAC after proclaiming “I think there should be more jailed journalists,” Iranian officials have announced the creation of a new court for media crimes. It is not clear whether the Iranians will name the new tribunals “Coulter courts” but they should be a real crowd pleaser for those who wildly applauded at CPAC.
Continue reading “Coulter Courts? Iran Creates A New Media Court To Jail Journalists”
Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
I don’t think Barry Goldwater would recognize Conservatism or his Republican Party if he was alive today. Conservatism used to mean belief in safe and sound economic spending and freedom for all from governments getting too large and too restrictive on personal freedoms. Recently we have seen Republicans offer up a brand new and dangerous definition of rape in an attempt to restrict abortions and to restrict government money being used to pay for them. Now we are seeing another Republican attempt to restrict the use of contraceptives under the guise of ending the alleged use of Federal funds to pay for abortions.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
We have previously discussed the death of Kent Schaible, here and here. Kent Schaible, 2, died of bacterial pneumonia because his parents Herbert and Catherine Schaible, a fundamentalist Christian couple, believed in faith healing and declined to get medical attention for their child in Philadelphia. They were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment.
Common Pleas Court Judge Carolyn Engel Temin sentenced them to 10 years of probation. Continue reading “Faith Healers Given Probation”