Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1719

Louisiana State Senator Claims Scientists Used to Burn Heretics Who Didn’t Agree with Them

Last month, I wrote about the Louisiana Science Education Act, which is the act allowing Creationism to sneak into the schools under the guise of “teaching the controversy”… even though no such controversy exists in the world of science.

LSEA needs to be repealed, and Senate Bill 74 could do it.

On April 22, a hearing was held on that bill. And just wait until you hear how the ignorance-spewing State Senator Elbert Guillory defending the teaching of Creationism in public schools.

Guillory brough...

When You Put It Like That, Of Course Prayer Works!

Seen outside Big Creek Baptist Church in Wilmer, Alabama:

I guess I’ll just keep praying then…

(Thanks to Dan for the image!)

Iowa Governor and Cedar Rapids Mayor Both Issue “Day of Reason” Proclamations

Before the National Day of Reason ends, one last bit of good news.

In Iowa, both Governor Terry Branstad and Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbet issued separate Day of Reason proclamations!

Kudos to the Humanists of Linn County for making that happen.

(Thanks to Joe for the link)

A Kickstarter for Carbon Dating: The Science-y Comic Strip

Last year, Jessica posted about a new science-based comic strip called Carbon Dating:

That strip has been going strong for a while now and creator Kyle Sanders is set to release his first collection of the strip:

If you’re curious to see what the strips look like, you can scroll through them here. It’s a fantastic project and worth supporting if you can!

Agnes Questions Her Faith

Over the past few days, the main character in the comic strip Agnes has been asking questions about religion…

As far as comics go, that’s pretty risky. I asked creator Tony Cochran if he’s heard any backlash so far and will update this post if/when I hear back. Either way, it’s a breath of fresh air to see religion discussed so casually in a medium that usually caters to older readers.

(Thanks to Jon for the link)

We’re Not Atheists Because of Bad Christians

Why aren’t we religious?

I’ve heard Christians confidently express the reasons: There’s too much hypocrisy within the church, there are too many Christians who give the rest of them a bad name, we’ve had bad experiences in church, etc.

Not the reason we became atheists

Neil Carter does a great job pointing out that the problem is as much with the message as it is the messengers:

… My Christian friends routinely pass around this much beloved quote by Brennan Manning:

The greatest single cause of at...

Digital Transparency Has Led to the Downfall of Organized Religion

In an interview with Andrew Aghapour of Religion Dispatches, Daniel Dennett explains why the transparency of the Internet Age hurts religion specifically:

In the March issue of Scientific American, Deb Roy and I compare this to the Cambrian Explosion. The Cambrian Explosion happened 540 million years ago, when there was a sudden, very dramatic explosion of different life forms in response to some new change in the world. Oxford zoologist Andrew Parker argues that the increased transparency of...

Feds Want Large Signs Gone from Oklahoma Highways. Somehow, That’s an Attack on Religious Freedom

There’s a rule when it comes to signs on the sides of the road in Oklahoma: They can’t exceed a certain square footage or else the state gets in trouble.

But state officials have tried to sidestep that law for a while now. Over the past decade, they’ve asked the federal government for exemptions on the size rule when it comes to non-profit groups, including churches. (So really, this has always been about churches.)

They even passed a law a few years ago allowing non-profits (so… churches) to p...

Ben Carson: I Aced My College Chemistry Final Because God Gave Me All the Answers in a Dream

Earlier today, at the official National Day of Prayer breakfast in Washington, D.C., GOP Presidential candidate Ben Carson — a neurosurgeon by trade — explained how he passed his chemistry final during his first semester at Yale University:

… My grades were so bad that, even if I had gotten an A on the final, I still would’ve failed. That’s how bad it was. But the professor was either very compassionate or very sadistic. I’m not sure which one. Because he had a rule. He said, “Anyone who’s fai...

Pastor Can’t Understand Why Anyone Would Be an Atheist

Rev. Eric Strachan, a retired pastor from New Life Community Church in Petawawa, Ontario, doesn’t understand atheists. But instead of asking local atheists to inform him about their views, he went ahead and wrote an opinion piece for The Daily Observer laying bare all of his ignorance:

… I think there are many people who are atheists today because they’ve experienced human tragedy, painful traumatic events in their lives, wars, rapes, a dysfunctional childhood, abuse, the tragic loss of a love...