Archive for April, 2008

Honour killings on the rise in Iraq

Posted by Reason on April 30th, 2008 Comments (1)

Shawbo Ali Rauf, 19, shot 7 times by her in-laws for having an unknown number on her cell phone.

In Basra alone, police admit to 15 women being killed each month in Sharia (Islamic Law) honour killings. A woman can dishonour her family by reporting abuse, leaving the home, not wearing a veil or going to the bazaar without her husband’s permission.

Violence against women is rampant, rising every day with the power of the militias. Beheadings, rapes, beatings, suicides through self-immolation, genital mutilation, trafficking and child abuse masquerading as marriage of girls as young as nine are all on the increase.”

A similar situation seems to be going on across the Middle East, especially in Afghanistan.

These stories embody the need for criminal law to be separate from religious law.

Tags: , , , , Category: Intolerance, Islam, Politics & Law

Parents charged in daughter’s preventable death

Posted by Formo-Mormo on April 30th, 2008 Comments (3)

On March 26, 2008, we had the story of Kara Neumann, an 11 year old girl who died because, rather than taking her to a doctor, her parents prayed for her to get better. She died of diabetes; a very manageable condition.

Praying doesn’t cure diabetes. Or anything else.

Now her parents are being charged with second-degree reckless homicide. Her mother said…

“We just thought it was a spiritual attack and we prayed for her”

This is the danger of magical thinking!

“The Wormgoors arrived at the home 30 minutes before Kara stopped breathing, Dale Neumann said.

Randall Wormgoor encouraged Dale Neumann to call for medical help but the father “said he remained confident and steadfast in his belief that prayer would heal Madeline,” according to an interview Dale Neumann gave to police.

Dale Neumann told investigators that “given the same set of circumstances with another child, he would not waiver in his faith and confidence in the healing power of prayer,” according to the interview statement.”

Look at this. Even after she stopped breathing, the father was still praying for her to be healed. I want to give this guy a shake and tell him to wake up. He would do the same thing were it to happen again!

They let their daughter die, and she was okay with it because she also thought that Jesus would heal her.

Please, let’s live in the real world, where we can help ourselves and not depend on a magical man in the sky to intervene in our lives and save us when we can easily do it ourselves.

Tags: , , , , Category: Superstition

31 of 53 teen girls at FLDS ranch are pregnant or have children

Posted by Reason on April 29th, 2008 Comments (9)

That’s the whole story, really.

UPDATE: Teen actually up and gives birth right there in custody. Sorry to the PR team; just can’t hold it in any longer.

Tags: , , Category: FLDS, Politics & Law

"I pray for Christians. They’ve been misled". Iranian filmmaker presents Jesus as prophet, not messiah

Posted by Reason on April 29th, 2008 Comments (0)

Nader Talebzadeh’s film, “Jesus, the Spirit of God” is almost 10 years in the making. His Muslim interpretation of Jesus - as a prophet, born of a virgin, but not divine and not the son of God.

Jesus also didn’t actually get crucified, but sort of shoots up to Heaven just in time to transform Judas into his likeness and have him crucified. Seems fair, in retrospect.

Tags: , , , Category: Culture, Islam, Movies/Music/TV

Scientology VS Chaser’s free gullibility test

Posted by Reason on April 26th, 2008 Comments (0)

Tags: , , Category: Critical Thinking, Scientology

You got rickrolled by XENU.NET

Posted by Godless on April 26th, 2008 Comments (0)

Tags: , , Category: Humor, Scientology

PZ would like you to vote…

Posted by Reason on April 25th, 2008 Comments (3)

PZ Myers noted a little poll on Expelled’s MySpace page, and would love for you to go cast your vote. Bottom of the left-hand column.

When he posted 2 hours ago, Intelligent Design was winning 3:1…now Science is winning by about 80%. Mean, PZ, mean ;D

Tags: , , , Category: Authors/Books, Creationism, Humor

Florida legislature considering Christian license plate

Posted by Reason on April 24th, 2008 Comments (1)

The state of Florida is considering approving a Christian license plate featuring a cross and the words “I Believe”. There are already over 100 custom plates in the state featuring personal statements from sports franchises to natural wonders, and typically the $25 surcharge for expressing yourself in a vehicular manner goes to support the cause you’re affixing to your car.

In 2004 Florida approved a “Family First” plate benefiting “the Gospel of Jesus Christ”, among other things. In 1999 the state offered a bright yellow “Choose Life” plate with a boy and a girl on it, with proceeds going to anti-abortion agencies.

The ACLU fears this proposal could lead down the road of the likes of the KKK getting their own design. The bill’s sponsor advises that if atheists came up with a plate design stating “I Don’t Believe”, he would oppose it.

Tags: , , Category: Christianity, Politics & Law, Seperation of Church & State

Warren Jeffs’ laywers seek new trial

Posted by Reason on April 24th, 2008 Comments (0)

Lawyers for Warren Jeffs, FLDS “Prophet” are arguing Thursday for a new trial for the polygamist leader. Currently cooling his heels in an Arizona jail, Jeffs was found guilty of accomplice to rape for arranging the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her older cousin.

The legal team seeks to have the conviction thrown out on the grounds that a juror, who was replaced during deliberations, failed to disclose that she was a rape victim herself.

UPDATE: Utah Judge James Shumate rejected the request for a new trial. Politically now might not have been the time to ask for it.

Tags: , , Category: FLDS, Politics & Law

Yoko Ono sues Expelled filmmakers

Posted by Reason on April 24th, 2008 Comments (0)


Yoko drops the ‘Hey, you don’t own that song, guys’ bomb on the Expelled filmmakers for their use of John Lennon’s Imagine, launching a lawsuit in conjunction with her sons, who do own the song.

As John said: “I don’t believe in magic, I don’t believe in I-ching, I don’t believe in Bible, I don’t believe in Tarot, I don’t believe in Hitler, I don’t believe in Jesus, I don’t believe in Kennedy, I don’t believe in Buddha, I don’t believe in Mantra, I don’t believe in Gita, I don’t believe in Yoga, I don’t believe in Kings, I don’t believe in Elvis, I don’t believe in Zimmerman, I don’t believe in Beatles, I just believe in me…and that’s reality” - John Lennon, God

Tags: , , , , Category: Creationism, Movies/Music/TV, Politics & Law

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