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Category Archives: Religion

Silver Linings

Even Depressions do some good: Hundreds of churches across the country have received foreclosure notices in recent months, and even more are behind on mortgage payments. An economic downturn tends to increase church attendance, but the amount each churchgoer donates tends to decrease. And newer members usually donate less than older ones. Churches can trim […]

Chickens come home to roost

When the Supreme Court allowed nativity scenes on public property several years ago, it did so by adopting the most specious of arguments:that such a scene was permissible if it was surrounded by otherwise secular symbols, since it simply represented “‘the historical origins of this traditional event long [celebrated] as a National Holiday,’ and that […]

Historical revisionism

When I read this letter in the Day this morning, I knew I just had to respond. The letter is full of distortions and historical inaccuracies, but I decided to go after the low hanging fruit. And, since I’m lazy, I decided to make my response do double duty as a blog post. Readers here […]

Bill Maher plugs his movie

Bill Maher talks about his new movie on the Daily Show. The entire interview below, split into two parts. It is great to see a movement to re-legitimize reason in this country.

Sunday Morning Sermon

Via Pharyngula: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnjfxCp92pc[/youtube]

Swallow that cracker, or pay the consequences

Things have gone dangerously awry in this country. Could Thomas Jefferson or James Madison have predicted that the religious freedom they promoted could have turned the U.S. into not only the most religious country in the Western World, but the most religiously intolerant? More to the point, would they believe that the separation of church […]

Nutmeggers smarter than almost everyone else (in the USA at least)

In its continuing drive to ignore actual current events, the Courant managed to stumble onto a fairly interesting story that reflects well on Connecticut: A poll released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that Connecticut (along with Rhode Island), though still home to many believers, ranks near the bottom of […]

Decline of the West-Roman Catholic Version

This is what comes of taking the nuns out of the schools: This just in from the myth-busting department: Roman Catholic teens feel no more guilty than other U.S. teenagers. If they cheated on an exam, lied to their parents or engaged in serious petting, it’s not bearing down on their conscience, according to a […]

True religion from the center of the universe

This being Sunday, our thoughts naturally turn to true Religion. Happily, yesterday, the mailman delivered food for thought, addressed to a fellow named Resident who gets a lot of mail here, though I’ve never actually met him. We all know that Religion and Science are now locked in a deadly battle. At the moment, the […]

McCain’s other pastor

Among other things, a Through-the-Looking-Glass history lesson. But of course, when it’s a right wing cleric that just makes things up it gets no attention. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXZbIGJrDkg[/youtube] Not scary because not black. Not offensive because he backs McCain.