Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1840

Christian Pseudohistorian David Barton: The Founding Fathers Debunked Evolution Long Before Darwin Existed

I guess the next David Barton book to be pulled from a bookstore near you for all of its inaccuracies will focus on science.

Trust me. I’m Christian.

According to a speech Barton gave in October, the Founding Fathers were well-versed in the issues of today, including evolution (which everyone apparently knew about in 500 B.C., more than 2300 years before Charles Darwin was born), and they fully rejected it:

“Did you know the Founding Fathers had extensive writings on the problems with evolution and why creationism was right?” Barton asked. “You think evolution came in with Darwin? No, no, no. Everything Darwin argued had been established 500 years B.C. All Darwin did was take all the evolutionary thought that was out there and put it in one book to make it really easy to read. That wasn’t original thinking by Darwin. It was there by 500 B.C. That’s why the Founding Fathers had huge writings on evolution and creation”

“Huge writings.” Volumes of them, I’m sure. Which they kept hidden until Nicolas Cage discovered them. Which you can read all about in Barton’s next book of Christian fiction.

(via Right Wing Watch)

In Dresden, Germany, 17,000 Protest Radical Islam and Unrestricted Immigration

These weekly protests have been growing in size, and are spreading from Dresden to other German cities.

A record 17,000 people have joined the latest in a string of demonstrations against Islam in Dresden, eastern Germany, celebrating the rise of their far-right populist movement by singing Christmas carols. The march on Monday night was organized by Patriotic Europeans Against Islamization of the West [German acronym PEGIDA] – a group that has grown rapidly since its first protest in October.

Among the slogans the protesters carry on placards are “Against religious fanaticism” and “Against religious wars on German soil.”

Most Pegida followers insist they are not Nazis but patriots who worry about the “watering down” of their Christian-rooted culture and traditions.

View image | gettyimages.com

German church officials are trying to distance themselves from the right-wing demonstrators’ religious references.

The Protestant bishop of Saxony state, Jochen Bohl, said the Pegida followers, by singing Christmas carols, were seeking “to exploit a Christian symbol and a Christian tradition” for political purposes.

…

Pegida, born in a city that was part of communist East Germany until the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago, has spawned copycat groups in western areas which have failed so far to attract similar crowds. Smaller clone groups rallied Monday in the western cities of Bonn, Kassel and Wuerzburg, but they only drew up to 200 followers each and were all vastly outnumbered by counter-demonstrations that drew 20,000 nationwide.

In Dresden, on Monday,

About 4,500 counter-demonstrators marched through the city under the slogan “Dresden Nazi-free”, warning that there was no space for racism and xenophobia in the country that perpetrated the Holocaust.

According to the Guardian,

The movement has emerged at a time when Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, has become the continent’s top destination for asylum seekers, and the world’s number two destination for migrants after the United States. The influx of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and several African and Balkan countries has strained local governments, which have scrambled to house the newcomers in old schools, office blocks and army barracks.

Wikipedia downplays the movement’s pro-Christian angle and also stays away from the Nazi comparisons, noting

In [its December 2014] manifesto PEGIDA advocates for the protection of Germany’s Judeo-Christian culture and for tolerance toward assimilated and politically moderate Muslims. It calls Islam a misogynist and violent ideology. PEGIDA believes that war refugees should be welcomed in Germany. It considers the current facilities for the housing of immigrants to be inadequate and partly inhumane. It advocates for a more decentralized distribution of facilities and a fairer allocation of immigrants among the countries of the European Union.

It wants to model German immigration policies after those of the Netherlands and Switzerland and wants to facilitate integration of foreigners into German society. Current laws should be strictly enforced, the police should be given additional funding, and criminal refugees and immigrants should be promptly expelled. In addition, PEGIDA opposes constraints on political speech imposed by gender mainstreaming or political correctness.

The PEGIDA protests are, in part, a response to this:

Radical Muslims in the city of Wuppertal in western Germany have begun operating a “Sharia police” force in an attempt to impose Islamic law on local Muslims. … About a dozen young Muslim men wearing orange safety vests with the words “Sharia Police” were seen this week outside the city’s discos and pubs and patrolling its streets, [promoting] Islamic strictures against alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography and prostitution.

… and this:

[German Muslims Abu Malik and Mohamed Mahmoud, the latter a convicted terrorism sympathizer] launched the “Millatu-Ibrahim” (“The Community of Ibrahim”) missionary project and went from mosque to mosque, selling Islam as pop culture. They want the young men they approach to distance themselves from the kuffar, be proud of their religion “and not be ashamed to carry a weapon,” Mahmoud tells his supporters on YouTube. He claims that Millatu-Ibrahim already has branches in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Flensburg and Solingen.

Both the PEGIDA demonstrators and the people they criticize have plenty of unsavory and misguided characters in their midst. While exercising all due caution, it might be a mistake to condemn either group for that reason alone.

More Youth Pastors Are Nabbed for Sexual Assaults on Children

More competition for Catholic priests:

A 27-year-old man has been accused of sexually abusing two teenage boys during his time as a youth pastor at a Hillsboro [Oregon] church, police say.

Dylan Ritterman was arrested Dec. 18 on allegations he “unlawfully touched” two boys, said Lt. Mike Rouches, a spokesman with the Hillsboro Police Department. The boys were 14 or 15 at the time, he said.

Ritterman was a youth pastor at Bethel United Pentecostal Church, Rouches said. At least one incident is believed to have occurred in a room at the church and at least one other in a car after Ritterman drove a boy home, he said.

And, in Arkansas,

A Hot Springs youth pastor was arrested for the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

The victim confirmed that Andrew Lee Jackson, 28, was her youth pastor at her church.

In a police report, the victim stated that she and Jackson engaged in sexual intercourse five different times at his residence that he shared with his wife. …

Earlier this month, police reportedly found inappropriate text messages on the victim’s phone between the two.

As is true for their child-raping brethren, a lifetime of Bible readin’ and testifyin’ wasn’t enough to dissuade these men from attempting to bless children with their saintly cocks.

Generation Atheist is Free This Week

My friend Dan Riley wrote a book a while back called Generation Atheist. It’s a collection of true stories about people who transitioned from godly to godless.

For the rest of the week (through Saturday), the book is free on Kindle. I urge you to get your copy now if you haven’t already!

And if audiobooks are your thing, that’s now an option as well!

Florida’s Satanic Temple Display Was Vandalized by a Self-Described “Catholic Warrior”

Earlier today, The Satanic Temple’s display in the Florida State Capitol Building was vandalized.

Now we know a little more about who did it:

Susan Hemeryck (via Leon County Sheriff’s Office)

Susan Hemeryck, 54, tried to remove the display Tuesday, and when the Capitol Police told her she couldn’t, she began ripping it apart. She was arrested and charged with criminal mischief.

…

“It’s just wrong, when you remove baby Jesus two days before Christmas and put Satan in his place — that just can’t happen. I couldn’t allow it to happen,” said Hemeryck, who said she was wearing a shirt that said “Catholic Warrior” when she arrived at the Capitol. “I was there at the right time and the right moment, and I needed to take a stand against Satan.”

Umm… there’s a baby Jesus near the display. There’s an entire Nativity scene, actually.

I’m curious if she’ll be charged with a hate crime; it seems like that would be the case if an “atheist warrior” destroyed the Christian display.

Hemeryck, according to other reports, is a Tea Party activist in the state.

There are no plans at the moment to resurrect the Satanic display.

(Thanks to Scott for the link)

Senator Cory Booker Gives a Shout-Out to HumanLight, a Humanist Holiday

It’s not every day a sitting U.S. Senator honors a Humanist holiday (one I’m guessing most Humanists don’t even celebrate… or have heard of), but kudos to Cory Booker (D-NJ) for not being afraid to mention it:

Booker also aired his Festivus grievance earlier today.

The Pale Blue Dot Looks Enormous on This Scale

Forget Powers of Ten.

This is *so* much cooler than that:

Don’t forget: God only loves and listens to the prayers of the people on that one tiny speck of the universe.

Makes perfect sense.

…

P.S. To paraphrase my favorite comment on YouTube: If God doesn’t exist, who took the picture of the entire universe? Checkmate, atheists!

Montgomery (Louisiana) Officials Receive Warning Not to Promote Christianity in Future Holiday Celebrations

Last week, I posted about a peculiar posting on the Facebook page for the town of Montgomery, Louisiana. It was for their annual Christmas celebration and featured a possibly-illegal tagline:

As I asked then: Why is the city not-so-subtly talking about how it’ll make sure this is a Christian celebration? Are non-Christians not allowed to participate in the event? What kind of “Fellowship” are they talking about? And why is the banner image for the celebration a great big Nativity scene?

This was an event better suited for a church, not city hall.

Yesterday, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a warning letter to the mayor and city council members. Attorney Sam Grover wrote:

If the Town wishes to host holiday celebrations in the future, the events cannot include fellowship or other scheduled religious activity and cannot be advertised in a way that promotes Christianity over all other religions. Private groups remain free to organize their own religious events if they wish, but the Town cannot organize or promote such an event. We request a response in writing about what steps you are taking to end this constitutional violation.

For now, the advertisement remains on the town’s Facebook page, and the festivities already took place over the weekend, but the letter may prevent events like this in the future.

The Knights of Columbus Has Given Millions of Dollars to Anti-Gay, Anti-Women, and Anti-Science Groups

The Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus has a wide reputation for volunteering and charitable giving. I know it might come as a shock that a religious organization named after famed humanitarian Christopher Columbus isn’t entirely the force for good that it’s often believed to be, but brace yourself. This article by Think Progress’ Josh Israel on the topic reveals some pretty unpalatable behavior from the Knights.

It’s the typically archaic stuff you’d expect from a conservatively Catholic group with deep pockets — not surprising for an organization that Pope John Paul II referred to as the “strong right arm of the Church.” Still, it’s probably not what comes to mind when many think of the Knights of Columbus: like, for instance, spending millions to oppose LGBT equality, stem cell research, abortion access, etc.

Israel writes:

In a November interview, the organizations’ top official noted that the Knights’ “first principle is charity,” and that its success has come due to its focus on “mission integrity.” But for several decades, that charity has also included work to overturn Roe v. Wade. Each year, the organization reaffirms, by resolution, its “deep and historic commitment to oppose any governmental action or policy that promotes abortion, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, euthanasia, assisted suicide, or other offenses against life.”

And what does that commitment look like?

Between local chapters and the national organization, the Knights’ “Ultrasound Initiative” have provided more than $14 million worth of ultrasound machines to local “pro-life pregnancy care centers”… They have also worked to defeat a successful stem-cell research amendment in Michigan ($100,000), to pass an unsuccessful proposal to ban public funding of abortion in Florida ($100,000), and to oppose a defeated Massachusetts initiative to allow physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients ($450,000).

The Knights of Columbus’ concerns run beyond limiting women’s healthcare and banning end-of-life options, though. They’re also concerned about the terrors of pornography in society:

With at least $250,000 in contributions since 2010, the Knights of Columbus are among the most generous donors to Morality in Media, likely the nation’s loudest voice against adult pornography, and its efforts to curb “the ravages of the pornography pandemic in America.”

And while the organization is only open to male members, they are less open about other same sex arrangements. Marriage equality, for example, is a big target for the Knights.

The Knights of Columbus also transferred more than $1 million in 2009 to the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage. In all, a 2012 report by the Catholic LGBT equality advocacy coalition Equally Blessed, found the Knights of Columbus had spent more than $6.2 million against same-sex marriage between 2005 and 2012.

Israel provides a lot more detail and examples of the Knights of Columbus’ spending and views, and the conclusion is inescapable. As with many Catholic organizations, it seamlessly blends its positive outreach with its negative, the helping hand with the harming.

This is a problem we see all too often with religious charitable giving. The desire to do good in the world is hampered by a distorted idea of what good actually is — the byproduct of archaic moral codes, frozen in time because they were given the supposed sanction of God when they were created.

Chicago Atheist Group’s Billboard Stating “I Put My Faith in Science” Deemed Offensive, Moved to New Location

Last week, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and its Chicago chapter put up 11 billboards throughout the city. One of them, featuring local musician Alan Wagner, read “I put my faith in science.”

Apparently, that was so offensive to the people who own the space the billboard is on, that it’s been moved to a new location:

“It’s hard to believe someone would be that offended by a slogan that says ‘I put my faith in science,’” commented Tom Cara, director of the FFRF Metropolitan Chicago Chapter.

For what it’s worth, a religious person could have made the exact same statement that’s on the billboard (even if you find it hypocritical)… which makes you wonder if the problem was the message or the messenger. It’s entirely possible, in fact, that the complaint was over FFRF advertising in that space and not the statement itself — not that that would make it okay.

Maybe it’s a good thing Clear Channel rejected my original slogan submission or that billboard would be moving all over the place…