Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
The Society of Jesus, Oregon Province—a group of Jesuits who serve the Northwest—has agreed to pay a settlement of $166 million to childhood v
ictims of sexual and physical abuse. The abuse of approximately 500 Native Americans and Alaskan Natives is reported to have taken place at mission and boarding schools operated by the Jesuits on Indian Reservations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Bryan Fischer is the director of analysis for government and policy for the American Family Association (designated a hate group by the SPLC), which claims 2 million online supporters and 180,000 subscribers to its AFA Journal. Fischer recently said that the First Amendment doesn’t apply to Muslims, writing: “Islam has no fundamental First Amendment claims, for the simple reason that it was not written to protect the religion of Islam.”
Continue reading “Bryan Fischer – Republican Presidential Hopefuls Go-To Guy”
Roughly four out of ten Americans still like that old testament version of God — full of wrath and fury. A poll by Public Religion Research Institute and Religion News Surveshows that forty percent of our citizens still believe that God directs such disasters like the Japanese earthquake for a purpose. It is not clear what God had against the Japanese, but these citizens believe it was for a divine purpose. They are not alone Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara called the earthquake and tsunami in Japan tembatsu — or “divine judgment”
Continue reading “Roughly Four Out of Ten Americans Believe Disasters Like Japanese Earthquake Directed By God”
Florida pastor Terry Jones is back. If you recall, he caused an international sensation in pledging to burn a copy of the Qur’an (Koran) and then backed down in exchange for a new car. Well, Jones has now proceeded in holding a trial of the holy book and proceeded to burn it after his flock found it guilty. Jones serves as the judge for the trial at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Continue reading “American Taliban: Florida Pastor Burns Qur’an After “Trial” By His Church”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
If Republicans get their way that’s a distinct possibility. Under a GOP-backed bill the Internal Revenue Service would be required to police how Americans pay for abortions. Under the Republicans’ “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act”, known as H.R. 3, IRS agents would also have to determine if the terminated pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.
Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw) Guest Blogger
Over the past few weeks and months, we have read repeatedly about how politicians are upset that the government is doing nothing about jobs. We hear it from the Right and we hear it from the Left, but the unemployment rate is still around 9.0% with many out of work Americans no longer looking for work. With this background, I was incensed when I read about a Minnesota legislative proposal to bar citizens on public aid from having more than $20.00 cash in their pocket at any time! Continue reading “Is This The America That We Want?”
Pastor John Goodman is accused of having a rather curious view of attending his flock: fleecing before ministering. Members of the Houston Unity Baptist Church have accused Goodman of refusing to give them communion after they declined to hand over their tax refund to the church.
Continue reading “Pay and Pray: Pastor Accused of Withholding Communion After Parishioners Refuse To Hand Over Their Tax Refunds”
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has suspended 21 priests for involvement in the sexual abuse of minors. The suspensions come after a grand jury found that 37 priests in the diocese were implicated in such abuse.
Continue reading “Catholic Church Suspends 21 Priests For Allegations of Child Abuse”
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”
-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”