Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1826

Bill Maher on Islam: “When There’s This Many Bad Apples, There’s Something Wrong with the Orchard”

On last night’s episode of Real Time, Bill Maher and Salman Rushdie discussed the Charlie Hebdo attacks, leading Maher to reiterate his criticism of Islam: “When there’s this many bad apples, there’s something wrong with the orchard.”

The conversation on their end focused on how the right to free speech must be upheld, regardless of the critics of the cartoonists who felt they shouldn’t have poked fun at certain topics or should have been more respectful:

Rushdie was personally bothered by the...

Cardinal Raymond Burke Rues “Feminization” of the Church, Saying That Altar Girls Lack “Manly Discipline”

1952called; it wants Cardinal Raymond Burke back.

And it can have him.

From Religion News Service:

[O]ne of the most outspoken critics of Pope Francis’ push for reform is roiling the waters yet again, this time arguing that the Catholic Church has become too “feminized.”

More than 30 years after the Vatican began allowing choir girls to help priests during Mass, Ray Burke still misses the traditional sausage-fest. He wants hischoir boys.

“Young boys don’t want to do things with girls. It’s just na...

This Crowd Gathered to Watch Raif Badawi Get Lashed

This video shows nothing graphic. And yet it makes me sick to my stomach.

The people in it are supposedly gathering to watch Saudi blogger Raif Badawi get the first 50 (of 1,000) lashes yesterday:

The worst part is seeing kids running to witness the punishment.

By the way, yesterday, I wrote that Badawi reportedly didn’t even flinch as he received his punishment, a brave response. But I couldn’t help but nod along to Paul Fidalgo‘s tweet:

I’m glad to hear how brave @raif_badawi is in enduring thi...

Pastor Brags About Punching a Bright Kid in the Chest Because He Didn’t Take the Lord Seriously

In this clip from a sermon, a Christian pastor explains how he walked up to a smart-aleck kid who wasn’t “taking the Lord serious”… and punched him in the chest.

Because that’s how you’re supposed to win converts for Jesus.

He ends the clip with: “There’s times that that might be needed.”

Remember kids: When it comes to pleasing God, violence is always the answer.

(via Christian Nightmares)

Christian Author: The Bible Contains Terrible Things in Order to Teach Us How to Wrestle with Moral Questions

Christian author Derek Flood recently tackled a subject that we often see raised in atheist circles: if the Bible is supposed to provide moral guidance, why is it filled with terrible, immoral commands and acts ascribed to God? And his approach is a rather good example of how inventive we humans can be when it comes to preserving respect for an idea or belief that really doesn’t merit it.

Flood begins in a straightforward fashion. Unlike many apologists, he doesn’t try to sugarcoat the slavery...

Indian Lawmaker Says Women “Must Produce At Least Four Children in Order to Protect the Hindu Religion”

You might think that, in a country of 1.2 billion people, where over 80% of your population is Hindu, you probably don’t have to worry about the preservation of the religion. And even if you’re somehow concerned that roughly 20% of your populace practices some other religion, it might seem impolitic to imply that child bearing is a religious duty for women of your faith.

You, then, are not Sakshi Maharaj, a member of parliament from Uttar Pradesh:

“The time has come when a Hindu woman must prod...

Was it Right for Atlanta’s Mayor to Fire the City’s Fire Chief Over His Anti-Gay Book?

This week, Atlanta’s Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired after a lot of controversy surrounding his self-published 2013 book Who Told You That You Were Naked?. It included these passages:

“Uncleanness — whatever is opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, all other forms of sexual perversion.”

…

“Naked men refuse to give in, so they pursue sexual fulfillment through multiple partners, with the opposite sex, the same sex, and sex outside of marriage...

Boko Haram Attack on Nigerian Town Leaves 2,000 People Unaccounted For

Do Muslim fundies make New Year’s resolutions? If so, Boko Haram’s jihadists perhapsresolvedto kill more people in 2015than they did last year, when the death toll stood at “only” about 11,000.

In any case, the Sunni terrorists are off to a good start:

Nigerian Islamist militant groupBoko Haramhave attacked the northeastern town of Baga for the second time in a week, leaving bodies littering the streets, according to an official.

Two locals said the Islamist insurgents began shooting indiscrimin...

Raif Badawi, While Receiving 50 Lashes, Reportedly “Did Not Flinch”

Earlier today, Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was given 50 lashes (the first of his 1,000 lashes punishment) for the “crime” of “insulting Islam.”

I’m also encouraged by this report from @ElhamManea:

My god, that man is brave…

I also loved this beautiful cartoon by Kuwaiti cartoonist @wahabkw:

Stay strong, Raif. You’re in our thoughts.

Terry Jones, the Man Behind “International Burn a Koran Day,” is Now Running a French Fry Stand at a Florida Mall

Remember Terry Jones? He’s the pastor who caused worldwide controversy with his “International Burn A Koran Day” on September 11, 2010.

Well, guess what he’s doing now…

The Rev. Terry Jones has opened Fry Guys Gourmet Fries in the food court at DeSoto Square mall [in Bradenton, Florida]. When customers arrive at the counter, they see a drawing of Jones’ stern face front and center in what looks like a police sketch beside pictures of the other two co-owners. Their slogan: “We Take Fries Serious...