Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1712

The Guardian Shines a Light on Muslims Who Become Atheists

The Guardian‘s Andrew Anthony offers some insight into Britain’s ex-Muslims, many of whom have left faith altogether. They can’t always admit that, though, because the repercussions may be fatal:

“Oh yeah, I’m scared,” agrees Nasreen (not her real name) a feisty 29-year-old asset manager from east London who has been a semi-closeted apostate for nine years. “I’m not so worried about the loonies because it’s almost normal now to get threats. What worries me is that they go back to my parents an...

This Catholic Church Hired Actors to Teach Priests How to Be Better Public Speakers

Catholic masses are so famously boring, they’re often the butt of jokes. Now, a church in Detroit is trying to fix that by hiring a couple of professional actors to teach priests how to be more interesting during sermons:

For the last several years, actors Arthur Beer and Mary Bremer-Beer have conducted the three-week workshops at the seminary. The seminarians are taught how to project, how to control tempo, and how to master timing in order to deliver a Biblical truth or a laugh line.

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The Cat...

After Lesbians Buy Engagement Rings from Jewelry Store, Co-Owner Puts Up Sign Opposing Marriage Equality

***Update***: The store co-owner has given back the couple’s money so they may purchase their rings elsewhere.

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Nicole White and Pam Renouf recently purchased engagement rings at Today’s Jewellers in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They had no issues, gave their size specifications, made a down payment, and expected to pick up the rings very soon.

They even made a recommendation to a friend of theirs. When he went in to get a ring for his girlfriend, he noticed this sign in the store:

The san...

Kentucky Woman, Who Says She’s Not a Bigot, Walks Out on Muslim Speaker During Baccalaureate Service

On Sunday night, a baccalaureate service was held for students at Danville High School in Kentucky.

For those unfamiliar with the ritual, these events are a religious alternative (or addition) to secular graduation ceremonies. They’re completely optional for students and as long as the administrators/teachers aren’t involved in the planning or promotion of it, there should be no legal problems.

Indeed, this event seemed to go over just fine with everybody involved.

Except for a couple of parents...

14 Lessons from a Conservative Christian Couple’s Book About Dating and Sex

Last month, I posted a list of 11 lies about homosexuality from Tim LaHaye‘s 1978 book The Unhappy Gays. (LaHaye later co-wrote the Left Behind series.)

Turns out LaHaye and his wife Beverly also wrote a book all about dating and sex: Against the Tide: Raising Sexually Pure Kids.

So you know I had to check it out.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Your greatest achievement as parents will be knowing nobody got inside your daughters’ pants until their wedding day.

Leaning forward she surprised us with the...

A Year After Uncovering Several Church/State Violations at His School, a Student is Suing His Former District

Last year, Isaiah Smith graduated from high school after exposing all sorts of religious violations at his school.

For example, after getting bullied for being gay, Isaiah brought a Bible to school to show his classmates why the verses they cited didn’t actually condemn gay people. In the process, he ripped out the pages from Leviticus.

That caused Birdville High School Assistant Principal Glenn Serviente to pull Isaiah from class and warn him that he must not cause a “disruption” by ripping th...

Saudi Arabia Has Posted Job Openings for Eight New Executioners to Carry Out Beheadings

If you support Sharia Law and you really need a government job, Saudi Arabia has you covered. The Ministry of Civil Service just posted eight openings for executioners:

There have been 85 executions so far this year.

Since beheading is the method of choice in the Islamic country, it’s unclear how anyone has work experience. I guess you just need that drive. And bloodlust.

The job openings posted Monday did not specify relevant experience, training or a preferred educational background required f...

Jerry Coyne’s New Book Explains Why Science and Religion Can’t Go Together

Are science and religion compatible? Stephen Jay Gould famously wrote that they were separate ideas, calling them “non-overlapping magisteria.”

The problem with that characterization is that religion, all too often, makes claims that are easily rejected by science: Miracles, resurrection, Young Earth Creationism, etc. These two worlds cross paths all the time — and science is always the winner.

Jerry Coyne‘s new book offers an expanded rejection of Gould’s theory. It’s called Faith Versus Fact:...

In Commencement Address, Author Ian McEwan Defends Free Speech on Campus, Even if You Disagree With It

In his commencement address on Sunday at Dickinson College, English novelist Ian McEwan spoke about the importance of free speech and not censoring or running away from ideas we don’t agree with.

It’s a pressing issue on many campuses these days, with “safe spaces” and trigger warnings and protests against critics of religion (like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Bill Maher), and McEwan words couldn’t have come at a better time. His comments referenced Christopher Hitchens, the recent PEN Awards, and Char...

Sex Ed Pamphlet Used in New Zealand School Says Women Who Cohabitate Are “Cheap Prostitutes”

So this is what sex education looks like in a Christchurch, New Zealand school:

A common practice today is cohabitation, or “living together.” This is just a sinful grown-up way of “playing house.” A couple who lives together without marriage is a couple who has become habitual and irresponsible fornicators. She thinks he’s a wonderful man, yet he’s such a coward he can’t even ask her to be his wife. He thinks she’s a fine lady, yet she’s nothing more than a cheap prostitute who allows herself...