Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1834

This Scenario Only Makes Sense if You Believe Babies Are Born Religious

As Richard Dawkins is quick to point out, the phrase “Christian child” or “Muslim child” makes no sense — especially when applied to babies — since they never sat down, worked through their beliefs, and chose a label for themselves. It’s like saying, “That newborn is a Republican.”

Ruben Bolling goes a step further and introduces us to the tragic story of an Oregon woman who gave birth to a Hindu baby. The horror!

You can read the full comic here.

Christian Columnist: Leelah Alcorn’s Suicide is Sad, So Let’s Look for the “Root Causes of Transgenderism”

Yesterday, Terry posted the tragic story of Leelah Alcorn (below), a transgender teen who killed herself, leaving behind a digital suicide note urging parents never to tell their kids that it’s “just a phase” or “God doesn’t make mistakes.” Leelah also pointed out that her conservative Christian parents sent her to a Christian therapist, which didn’t help matters.

In situations like this, we’ve come to expect conservative Christians jumping into the fray to offer their thoughts, usually reinforcing the problem that led to the tragedy in the first place.

Cue Michael Brown of the homophobic Christian publication Charisma. After expressing his condolences over her loss (though he doesn’t hesitate to call her a “him”), Brown reminds everyone that people can be “cured” of their transgenderism and that sex changes don’t always solve the problem:

I personally know individuals who once identified as transgender and who no longer do, and they are so thankful to God that they found a better way. They emphatically discourage parents from affirming their children as transgender (while even more emphatically urging those parents to show unconditional love to their kids). Should we ignore what they have to say?…

Some of these individuals remained suicidal even after having sex-change surgery, and in some notable cases… some have committed suicide after coming out as the opposite of their biological sex.

Don’t their deaths count as much as the death of Joshua-Leelah?

Why are people so free to condemn Joshua’s parents when they wouldn’t dare criticize doctors who performed (or recommended) sex-change surgery on someone who then killed himself or herself, unhappy with their new identity? Shouldn’t all these suicides give us pause for thought?

…

… while the suicide of Joshua-Leelah is absolutely tragic, and while I understand the passion of those who want to ban so-called transgender conversion therapy, I respectfully submit that wisdom and compassion call for a better path, one that invests more time and energy into looking for the root causes of transgenderism…

Christ… yes, of course some people commit suicide after a sex change. No one’s suggesting that those deaths, too, aren’t tragic. If you’re transgender, a sex change isn’t going to solve everything. There’s a whole host of things you’re going to have to deal with regardless of your outward appearance.

But in this case, Leelah’s parents do bear a bulk of the responsibility for what happened. Like Brown and like the Christian therapist, they just assumed there was something wrong with their child because of her gender identity. So instead of helping her, they discouraged her from being true to herself. Living with the knowledge that you’re going to have to live a lie in front of your parents forever is a horrible burden for anyone to bear.

You can’t “discourage parents from affirming their children as transgender” while simultaneously telling them to love the children unconditionally. There’s an obvious contradiction there.

Just to be clear, I don’t think the problem is that Leelah’s parents didn’t love her. I think they were just ignorant about what their daughter was dealing with. Their ideas about what it means to be LGBT were likely reinforced by a church culture that believes every one of those letters is inherently immoral. And Brown’s article does nothing to fix that problem.

Alabama University Chancellor Sends Students an Email Suggesting Religion Keeps Our Democracy Functional

***Update***: American Atheists sent a letter to the Chancellor demanding an apology:

On behalf of the student who contacted us, the Alabama members of American Atheists, the thousands of atheists at Troy University, and the hundreds of millions of atheists worldwide who live productive, law-abiding lives without religion, we demand an apology from you for using the public university email system and your publicly funded position to disparage atheists and minority religious groups as well as perpetuating the discrimination and anti-patriotic sentiment against atheists in the United States.

…

Yesterday afternoon, students and faculty members at Alabama’s Troy University received a strange email from Chancellor Jack Hawkins wishing them a happy new year. I was forwarded a copy of the email:

The message itself doesn’t really bother me… but let’s take a look at that video he linked to:

It features Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen talking about a lesson he learned from a visiting Chinese friend: That religion is critical to the functioning of democracy because it convinces people to voluntarily obey the law. They’re good because they know they’re accountable to God. If you take away religion, chaos would erupt.

The video ends with this image:

Why is a public university’s leader sending religious propaganda to students?

If anything, it’s just depressing. It says the only reason we’re good is not because we’re decent, ethical people, but because we think Yahweh is looking over our shoulders.

If religion is the only reason we’re living in someone’s idea of a utopia, that’s a damning statement about our society. How is that moral at all?

Actually, if you look at countries like Denmark and Sweden, where religion isn’t a powerful force, it turns out there’s not much crime or corruption, the people are generally happy, and the economies are strong. (Sociologist Phil Zuckerman wrote a book all about it.)

Ned Carter, who brought this to my attention, points out what Chancellor Hawkins left out of his email:

There is no mention of the highest incarceration rate in the world. Funny how we are so pious and wantonly unlawful at the same time. There is no mention of the scandals that rocked the Catholic church throughout the US, or its effect on millions of followers. The Harvard professor takes charge of the narrative while churches vanish from the skyline while decrying the inevitable demise of our Democracy along side the decline of his religion. “Because if you take away religion, you can’t hire enough police.” A disgusting display of how much disregard this shows for any non religious person. You do not have religion, you can not have morality, you are a lesser being incapable of being as I am. That is the only message I take away from this message from the Chancellor. I am not welcome on his campus, I am not to be trusted, I am not capable of civilized actions or discourse.

So we’re back to the original question: Why the hell would the Chancellor send a message like this to everyone at the university? Why not just say “Happy new year. Hope you got some rest. See you soon. (Don’t forget to pay your tuition)”?

I’ve asked the school’s Director of University Relations about the content of the email and will post an update if/when I hear back.

The 10 Most Popular Posts on This Site: 2014 Edition

Here’s the yearly countdown of the most popular posts on this site:

10) Man Saved From Submerged Car Credits God’s Grace For the Rescue… and Prepares to Sue His First Responders (March 14)

9) Remembering the UpStairs Lounge: The U.S.A.’s Largest LGBT Massacre Happened 40 Years Ago Today (June 24, 2013)

8) Christian Ministry Quotes Adolf Hitler on Billboard, Not Realizing That’s a Bad Idea (June 3)

7) An Incredible Interactive Chart of Biblical Contradictions (August 19, 2013)

6) Fred Phelps, Founder of the ‘God Hates Fags’ Westboro Baptist Church, is on the ‘Edge of Death’ (March 15)

5) Nate Phelps Issues Public Statement After His Father’s Death (March 21)

4) 8 Things Your Pastor Will Never Tell You About the Bible (September 29)

3) Reza Aslan is Wrong About Islam and This is Why (October 5)

2) After a Brief Suspension for Defending Evolution, ESPN’s Keith Law Returns to Twitter with This Gem (November 28)

1) About That ‘Common Core’ Math Problem Making the Rounds on Facebook… (March 7)

…

What did I learn from that list?

The #1 post is by far the most popular thing I’ve ever written… and it has nothing to do with atheism. Maybe I should stray off my beat a little more often.

A couple of the most-read articles were written by first-time guests on this site, which suggests I should take more chances on writers with whom I’m not familiar.

A well-written, accurate headline matters a lot. (If you can make it clever, even better.)

Two of the posts were written last year but became super-popular again this year for reasons that were both in our control (an anniversary of a tragic date) and not in our control (someone submitted an old post to a site like Reddit).

As always, we could never tell in advance which posts would go viral. This list includes a mix of current events posts and “timeless” ones. What seemed to help was having a take you couldn’t find anywhere else and really fleshing it out with details. Sounds obvious, but it’s not always easy to do.

Thanks to all of you for reading and giving us the motivation to continue bringing you these stories, especially those who made a donation and gave me the chance to expand the kind of work we do here. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who sent us story tips. A lot of our posts came from your suggestions, many of which were very local and not covered anywhere else but on this site.

Here’s to another great year!

(Image via Shutterstock)

Michelle Duggar, Reality TV Star Who Has Actively Fought Against LGBT Rights, Has a Lesbian Sister

It’s not exactly a closely-guarded secret, but Michelle Duggar, the 19 Kids and Counting mother who led the charge against a bill preventing LGBT discrimination in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has a sister who is (wait for it…) a lesbian.

Michelle Duggar (left) and Evelyn Ruark (via Duggar Family)

Radar Online has the story:

… RadarOnline.com can reveal that Michelle’s older sister Evelyn Ruark, 63, identifies as a lesbian.

Ruark has been in a long-term relationship with Ohio native Sharon Callahan, 52, and the two live together in Cincinnati, Sharon’s mother Dolores confirms to Radar.

In 2013, Josh Duggar (one of Michelle’s sons) alluded to an aunt who had “chosen” that lifestyle, but quickly added that even she believed marriage was limited to one man and one woman.

I’d prefer hearing those words from Ruark’s mouth instead of Josh’s before I believed it, but the lesson is clear: Whether it’s the Cheneys, Gingriches, Keyes, or any other family known for being vociferously against gay rights, they will inevitably have a relative who is a part of that community. (There’s gotta be a Law for that.)

In most cases, unfortunately, the gay relative has become an outcast, someone who is ignored in order for the more famous name to keep up appearances.

The Daily Mail points out that Ruark has appeared on the Duggars’ show once before, but there was no mention of her sexuality. And I doubt there will be any mention of her in the future.

(Image via Duggar Family Blog)

What Does Joel Osteen Have Against Facts?

Pastor Joel Osteen, who loves tweeting inspirational word salads, would like to remind you not to let the facts get in the way of your fiction:

Sounds nice if you’re in a hospital where the doctor tells you the “fact” that you’re dying. (Though, if you survive, then your impending death wasn’t really a “fact” in the first place.)

Sounds horribly illogical in every other situation. If you’re trying to prove 2 + 2 = 5, or that evolution is a conspiracy, or that President Obama is a Kenyan Muslim, then there’s no breakthrough coming. Stop trying.

It’s not the first time Osteen has told people to ignore the facts because, in his mind, God overrides them. I guess it could be worse.

And if Osteen ever retires from preaching, he always has a backup job writing horoscopes.

11 Things to Never Say to a Grieving Atheist

The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, discusses 11 things you shouldn’t say to an atheist who’s dealing with the death of a loved one:

A rough transcript of the video can be found on the YouTube page in the “About” section.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the project — more videos will be posted soon — and we’d also appreciate your suggestions as to which questions we ought to tackle next!

And if you like what you’re seeing, please consider supporting this site on Patreon.

Rabbi Calls Out Ultra-Orthodox Jews on Their Ridiculous Demand to Avoid Sitting Next to Women on Flights

Regarding the recent trend of male ultra-Orthodox Jews causing chaos on airplanes because they refuse to sit next to women, Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin expresses frustration with his fellow “chosen people”:

First, I invite someone to show me the passages in the Torah, Talmud, or the rest of the 2,000-year-old rabbinic tradition where it says: “Thou shalt not sit next to women on public conveyances.” Because I have been looking for it, or something like it, and I have been unsuccessful.

I know what many ultra-Orthodox Jews would say. All men have a “yetzer ha-ra,” an evil inclination, libidinal thoughts. To sit next to a woman would be too much temptation.

But why is that the problem of the woman who is innocently sitting on an airplane, just trying to get to her final destination, and the airplane flight crew? It simply cannot be that ultra-Orthodox men are so immature, helpless, and insecure that they cannot control their inclinations for five, 10, or 12 hours. Here’s an antidote: read books, especially holy books. Listen to music. Take a nap.

It’s a sorely-needed rebuttal to a ludicrous faith-based demand. Read the full piece at Religion News Service.

(Image via Shutterstock)

Bristol Palin Wrongly Claims the Noah’s Ark Theme Park Was Denied Millions in Tax Credits for Being “Too Religious”

In case you’re wondering whether the apple falls far from the tree, I present to you the sheer ignorance of Bristol Palin, who thinks Answers in Genesis’ Ark Encounter project was stripped of nearly $18,000,000 in potential tax rebates because it’s “too religious”:

I just get so sick of hearing about the “separation of church and state.” Because it usually means the state is pushing Christians around. Here’s the latest example.

…

Answers in Genesis is building a life-sized Noah’s Ark in Kentucky and a theme park to go with it. “Ark Encounter” will bring hundreds of jobs and millions of visitors to boost Kentucky’s economy. The state has a program to encourage tourism that refunds sales tax to big parks like this for the first 10 years they’re open. The plans for “Ark Encounter” were approved by the state in 2011 along with the tax credits.

But now, out of the blue, Kentucky officials say they’ve changed their mind! Answers in Genesis won’t be approved for the program unless they agree to hire people who aren’t Christians and unless the exhibit doesn’t talk about Christianity.

This is what we — those of us who actually educate ourselves on the issues — like to call “horseshit.”

Since she’s clearly unable to do any research, I’ll save her the time and give her the simplified version of the story:

Answers in Genesis was approved for the tax rebates because they were building a for-profit theme park and they agreed to play by the rules.

Like every other business that wants these government subsidies, they had to follow the law and not discriminate in hiring. Six Flags can’t do it. Kentucky Kingdom can’t do it. And Ark Encounter can’t do it.

But then they posted a job listing for Ark Encounter that required you to be a Christian. While that’s fine for, say, the non-profit Creation Museum, they can’t do that if they want the tax rebates.

Kentucky officials finally realized this and denied Answers in Genesis access to that money. It was the right move and it prevented a lawsuit from church/state separation groups in the future.

Governor Steve Beshear even said in a public statement:

“We expect any entity that accepts state incentives not to discriminate on any basis in hiring… While the leaders of Ark Encounter had previously agreed not to discriminate in hiring based on religion, they now refuse to make that commitment and it has become apparent that they do intend to use religious beliefs as a litmus test for hiring decisions. For that reason, we cannot proceed with the tourism incentive application for the Ark Encounter project.”

That’s it. It’s not anti-Christian. It’s pro-Following-the-Law.

What was Bristol Palin saying again?

Answers in Genesis won’t be approved for the program unless they agree to hire people who aren’t Christians and unless the exhibit doesn’t talk about Christianity.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. And she would know it if she bothered to read more than Fox News headlines. She’s either purposely lying or she’s blissfully ignorant and unwilling to admit the reality of the situation.

State officials (and church/state separation groups) aren’t against Christians. All we want is for them to play by the same rules as everybody else.

But playing fair is what Palin calls “pushing Christians around.”

I can’t imagine where she gets it from…

Creationist Group Buys Digital Billboard in Times Square with a Message to “All of Our Intolerant Liberal Friends”

Earlier this month, Ken Ham‘s Answers in Genesis tried drumming up support for their Noah’s Ark Theme Park with a hilarious billboard campaign targeting their “intolerant liberal friends.”

It was funny in large part because they were claiming no one could “sink their ship”… as it sat on land.

Anyway, in a 15-second digital ad that slated to appear in New York City’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve, Ham’s reusing that slogan (“To all of our intolerant liberal friends”) as a prelude to an image of a Christian cross with the message “Thank God for Freedom”:

A couple of things:

1) Ken, we’re still not friends. Friends don’t begin a conversation by insulting one another.

2) Where’s the “intolerance”? No one is stopping you from putting up the ad. I don’t believe we need to thank God for our freedom, but that’s hardly intolerance; it’s just a disagreement.

Ham attempts to explain the message on his site (which I’m providing a link to because, unlike him, I’m not afraid to let you see for yourself what the other side says):

The board’s message is meant to confront and challenge people about threats to America’s freedom of religion and freedom of speech — and publicly and unashamedly stand for the gospel message that the Cross (shown on the board) represents.

But there’s no threat to the freedom of religion or speech that he can point to, certainly none to Christians in the U.S.

Need proof? There’s a goddamn Creationist billboard in Times Square.

Ham tries (and fails) to offer up examples of what he’s talking about:

You see, atheists and other secularists have been working hard to try to remove Christian symbols like the Cross, Nativity scenes, and Ten Commandments displays from the culture — and proclaim their own godless religion. With each attack on religious freedom in America, it’s becoming more clear that these same secularists are some of the most intolerant people around. As I’ve said before, there is no neutral position: You are either for Christ or against Him.

Regarding the first part, every single attempt to remove a Nativity Scene from “the culture” has really been about stopping government endorsement of religion. No one — not a single church/state separation group — has complained about Nativity scenes on church grounds or private property. The same goes for Ten Commandment displays; they’re only problematic when there are monuments proclaiming the Commandments on government property (while all other monuments are rejected). That’s it.

(Ham can’t even find an example of “intolerance” toward Ten Commandments displays, so he links to his own complaints about an unofficial, crowdsourced secular version of the Ten Commandments. Which, for the record, no atheist group wants to see in stone on state capitol grounds or posted in public schools.)

And this idea of being “for Christ or against Him” is just Christian Victimhood speaking. Even Christians can support the idea that government should remain neutral with regard to religion. I’m not “against” Christ; on these matters, Christ is simply irrelevant. So is God. And so are my own beliefs about God.

For a guy whose digital billboard is “brought to you by… the First Amendment,” Ham still hasn’t figured out how the Establishment Clause works. Maybe he should educate himself before he embarrasses himself again in 2015.