I wrote this article for an atheism blog as a way of promoting my novel. Give it a read. Join the conversation. Oh, and read the damn book.
Sylvia Browne’s Ridiculous Statement on Her Fraudulent Psychic Reading Debacle
Here. A few observations, Sylvia says she’s right more often than she is wrong. If she has psychic powers, why is she EVER wrong? She says this is one of those times when she’s glad to be wrong. If that’s an acceptable excuse, then she should always err on the side of being thankfully wrong - which is what she does. Finally, using the cousin’s statement in this way is just adding opportunistic insult to opportunistic injury.
Jerry Sandusky’s rationalization statements made more sense than this crap.
While it is wonderful that Sylvia Browne is finally being exposed in the media as a charlatan and a fraud, it is important to remember that she is only one in a long line of predatory fakers who have fed on the ignorance and gullibility of an emotionally fragile audience for years now. Psychics rely on nebulous claims and visual and verbal cues from their audience which allow them to confuse and capitalize on that confusion. Shame on Sylvia Browne. Shame on her enablers in the media. Shame on her peers in the “industry.” And shame on anyone who ever listens to any of these con men and women again.
“One point, One demand: Atheists must be hanged!”
In 1971, Bangladesh was founded as a secular democracy. The region now known as Bangladesh was an English colonial territory at one time. Religious fantatics have placed demands on the country that their religion be viewed with favor and allowed to determine law. In Bangledesh, that group is currently called Hefajat-e-Islam, a sub-set of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. They teach their radical views to children in schools called medrassas. They often blame liberal bloggers for the ills that have fallen over their communities. Bangladesh is a member of SAARC, a regional treatied paramilitary organization organized to assure the member countries’ security and to enforce trade and trade agreements.
In 1776, the United States was founded as a secular democracy. The region now known as The U.S. was an English colonial territory at one time. Since the 1950s, religious fantatic have placed demands on the country that their religion be viewed with favor and allowed to determine law. In the US, that group is currently called the TEA Party a sub-set of the Republican Party. They teach their radical views to children in schools called “Private schools.” They often blame liberal bloggers for the ills that have fallen over their communities. The U.S. is a member of NATO, a regional treatied paramilitary organization organized to assure the member countries’ security and to enforce trade and trade agreements.
Don’t tell me it can’t happen here. This is why I need secularism.
Atheist Observation #30
Jesus’ Golden Rule is basically, “If you wouldn’t want somebody else doing it to you, don’t do it to them…”
So why do so many Christians want to impose biblical Sharia on gay people?
Have an idea for an atheist observation? Submit it to my message box.
Atheist Observation #29
Being carefully skeptical about things which might potentially be true is preferable to being un-carefully accepting of things which probably are not true…
Of course, what I just said may not be true.
Have an idea for an atheist observation? Submit it to my message box.
“science” quiz
This picture of a supposed 4th grade science quiz from South Carolina is suddenly making the rounds. First, I would note that the test is literally captioned, “4th grade science quiz” with the subhead of “dinosaurs: genesis and the gospel.” To me, this is a clear sign that it’s a hoax. Why would a 4th grade quiz need to be captioned this way? Who wouldn’t know that it was a quiz? Who wouldn’t know that the grade level was 4th? The teacher? The student? The parent? And why have a section about dinosaurs and the bible that only references Genesis and the Gospels? Even if it was a bible school quiz, that doesn’t make sense.
Second, why would you teach this in this way even if you believed it unless it was to counter educate somebody who had already been taught the scientific consensus argument?
No, I’m calling BS hoax on this one. Yes, there are creation-science advocates who believe this stuff, but they would not have made up a test like this one as a teaching aid.
