Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1676

The Ten Commandments Are Not a Foundation of Western Law, and We’re Better Off Because of It

Earlier this week, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the Ten Commandments monument on Capitol grounds was unconstitutional:

Ten Commandments monument in Oklahoma (via James Nimmo)

Attorney General Scott Pruitt immediately denounced the decision:

Quite simply, the Oklahoma Supreme Court got it wrong. The court completely ignored the profound historical impact of the Ten Commandments on the foundation of Western law. Furthermore, the court’s incorrect interpretation of Article 2, Section 5 con...

Icelandic Parliament Votes to Repeal Blasphemy Law

We tend to think of Iceland as fairly liberal — politicians unanimously voted in favor of marriage equality in 2010, they elected an openly lesbian Prime Minister in 2009, etc.

But they have had a blasphemy law in the books since 1940 that has no place in modern society.

It states:

Anyone officially ridiculing or insulting the dogmas or worship of a lawfully existing religious community in this Country shall be subject to fines or [imprisonment for up to 3 months.] Lawsuits shall not be brought...

I Guess We Have Affected the Religious Liberty of Christians…

I assume this is the conversation taking place in conservative Christian circles across the country:

(via Jesus and Mo)

A Look at the World of Christian Comedy

If you think about the best stand-ups of all time, I would guess they made you re-think some big part of your life in a new way, whether it was a relationship or religion or kids. We think of great comedians as people who push boundaries and go after big targets, not people who tell knock-knock jokes really well.

So what happens when your material is necessarily restricted? When you can’t use certain words or bring up certain situations? What happens when a part of your set has to include a se...

What’s Going On with the Huge Percentage of Atheists in China?

Back in April, WIN Gallup International (no relation to Gallup, Inc.) released a survey ranking global religiosity — which countries were most and least religious.

Overall, we learned that 63% of people around the world were religious, while those who described themselves as “a convinced atheist” made up 11% of the global population. (Global, in this case, referred to the 65 countries from which they were able to acquire data.) Unlike most surveys that put atheists under a broader “non-religio...

High School Graduation Ceremony Features Song Praising Jesus

The kind of music you’re allowed to sing at public school events has always been a touchy church/state separation issue. Christmas songs are okay, like during winter concerts, but they have tobe mixed in with secular songs to avoid any impression of promoting one religion. Religious songs with a clear educational purpose are fine, but not songs that are purely devotional. It’s not always an easy call to make.

But here’s a case out of New York that’s pretty clear-cut:

A song with Christian theme...

South Dakota County Commissioner Predicts Marriage Is About To Become An Exclusively Religious Institution

We might need a whole new section dedicated only to stupid things religious right-wingers say on Facebook.

This next gem is fromMeade County (South Dakota) Commissioner Alan Aker, who is among many religious conservatives who have taken to Facebook to express their outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of marriage equality.

Here’s his long-winded rant:

I was just notified by the county’s insurer that in light of the final federal court (Sorry to say, they’ve lost their “Supreme” tit...

Canadian Court Upholds Decision Not to Grant Accreditation to Anti-Gay Christian Law School

Trinity Western University’s proposed law school in British Columbia has been under fire because the school, in true anti-gay fashion, requires all students to agree that only married men and women are allowed to have sex.

Last November, they hit their biggest obstacle yet when the Law Society of British Columbia decided not to grant the school accreditation:

The president of Trinity Western University says he is uncertain if the new law school will open as scheduled in 2016 following the recen...

Catholic Church in Norway Owes Government More Than $5 Million After Inflating Membership Numbers

In countries where church and state are tied together, religious groups can receive taxpayer money based on membership. It’s to their benefit, then, when people say they’re Catholic, even if they don’t really practice. (Atheists groups in some countries have urged people to say they’re not religious, if that’s accurate, in order to stop excess money from going to churches.)

And wouldn’t you know it? There’s a lot of shady bookkeeping going on…

In Norway right now, the Catholic Church is in the...

Ricki Lake’s New Film About Birth Control Gets Contraception All Wrong

In Mexico City, in 1951, yams changed the world of contraception forever.

A chemist by the name of Dr. Carl Djerassi had found a way to synthesize the hormones they contained. While it would take another decade of testing before his work would reach its intended market, he had created a combination that gave birth to what we now know as The Pill.

Decades have passed since oral contraception first went mainstream. Since then, scientific advances have given us even more options in terms of hormon...