Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1867

Evangelical Leader Wants to Recruit 1,000 Pastors Into Politics Because There Aren’t Enough Christians in Office Yet

If David Lane, who founded the American Renewal Project, has his way, 1,000 Christian pastors will run for public office, each with 500 Christian volunteers… and then they’ll get to work getting rid of any civil rights progress we’ve made as a country:

There is nothing in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that establishes homosexual “marriage,” yet judges claim to have recently discovered one after 235 years of jurisprudence! Being subjected to such behavior is our own fault. We elected the politicians, who in turn, put the judges on their benches and allow them to run the country too often like tyrants without invoking the “separation of powers” that our democratic republic demands if it is to function in promoting freedom.

Because giving people the chance to publicly commit to each other, with the benefits our government offers married couples, is a mark of tyranny.

And why is this necessary now?

For too many decades the Church has accepted the outlandish idea that it is not to be involved in politics.

Yes, the problem with our government is too few Christians. Maybe next, they’ll work on finally getting a white guy elected to public office.

This isn’t just a pipe dream, either. Lane is looking to gather the faithful prospects this January — and he’s bringing some friends:

[Lane] is asking for pastors called to run for public office to come to Louisiana Jan. 23-24 for a special meeting featuring, among others, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a devout Christian, and U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. Lankford, a Southern Baptist, once ran the mammoth Falls Creek Camp for the Oklahoma Baptist Convention.

What was that again about too few Christians in politics…?

Lane is the sort of guy who thinks the GOP is too liberal. He wants the Bible to guide us instead of the Constitution. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he opposes Sharia Law because, you know, we wouldn’t want a theocracy now, would we?

I’m waiting for other Christian leaders to vocally oppose what Lane’s doing, but so far, there’s only silence.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Brian for the link)

“I’m Not Gay No More” Guy Releases Musical Versions of his Statement… and Gets Sued By His Church

Earlier this month, Andrew Caldwell became a viral sensation online when he got up on stage at the Church of God in Christ’s 107th Holy Convocation in Memphis and declared himself free from homosexuality with the statement “I’m not gay no more!”

He received $100 for magically turning straight. I can only assume he bought more bow ties.

Now, Caldwell is milking his celebrity for all its worth, taking his infamous line and turning it into three iTunes singles. There are the Gospel remix, instrumental, and karaoke versions.

I repeat: karaoke. Just in case you want to say the line yourself, I guess.

According to TMZ, the church is suing Caldwell over the songs:

A church honcho says they’re ordering him to stop hawking the song partly because they own the audio, but also because they feel Andrew is making a mockery of the service … and that’s hilarious.

But Andrew’s calling BS, telling TMZ he’s copyrighted the song … and says it’s his voice and only he — not even God — can claim ownership of it.

I take back the bow ties comment. Caldwell may end up giving that $100 to a lawyer.

Incidentally, Caldwell’s Facebook page claims the church lawsuit isn’t true.

What Do You Do if You Start Having Doubts About Religion?

The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, discusses what to do if you start having religious doubts.

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.

Dr. Ben Carson Feels God’s Fingers Urging Him to Run for President, but He Should See Where Those Fingers Have Been

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson revealed that he feels God’s fingers pushing him toward a presidential run.

Brody asked Dr. Carson,

And how is that conversation going with God about this potential presidential run? Has He grabbed you by the collar yet?…

Carson replied:

I feel fingers. But it’s mostly me… I have to be sure and I have a surgical personality that says always look before you leap, and don’t leap before you have to.

He also added, when asked, that there was a “good chance” that he would be on the presidential campaign trail.

This certainly isn’t the first time God’s touch has been witnessed in American presidential election races. The problem for people like Dr. Carson is that, lately, God has been really good at picking candidates who lose.

Michele Bachmann, after all, received a “sense from God” that she should run for President. And she didn’t even make it out of the primaries.

God let Rick Santorum‘s wife Karen know that He had her husband’s back during his run. And he lost in the primaries, too.

It was, of course, “God’s plan” that John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. God had a sense of humor with that one.

God cured Herman Cain‘s cancer so that he could be President. That didn’t work out so well.

No wonder Dr. Carson is weighing other factors before deciding to take the plunge. I mean, if an omnipotent, all-powerful being told me I was going to be President, I suppose I would want to listen… but with a track record like God’s, I’d probably reconsider.

Students in the Philippines Begin Convulsing, So Authorities Arrange For Exorcisms Rather Than Medical Help

Can’t immediately explain something worrisome? Must be the devil. Or evil spirits.

Some students of a public school in a mountain barangay in Cebu City [in the Philippines] were reportedly possessed by evil spirits.

The case seems to have started when

… 35 students from various grade levels suddenly collapsed and started convulsing while attending their classes. Mary (not her real name) said that before she was possessed, a spirit who identified himself as “Jake” spoke to her. Mary’s sister, a fourth grader, was also possessed by a spirit named “Maria.” Their mother believed that the possession may have occurred after the school reportedly cut down two mango trees to make way for the construction of a two-story building.

So with 35 kids exhibiting evidently neurological or psychological symptoms, medical attention was immediately called in, correct? Ha.

[O]fficials sought the help of the priests of the Mary Help of Christians Parish in Barangay Buhisan. Reverend Nicolas Ramos, a deacon assigned in the parish, responded. Ramos, who knows how to conduct the Roman Catholic rite of exorcism, ordered the barangay officials to bring some of the students to the Church where they would be prayed over. In an interview yesterday, Ramos said that some of the students responded violently when he sprayed them with holy salt and water.

They needed stronger measures, clearly. And so,

These students were brought to the Mary’s Little Children Community in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City. A well-known exorcist, Msgr. Frederick Kriekenbeek, conducted the rite of deliverance [exorcism] on the children who were brought to his community in Tabunok. Some students responded to prayer and were brought to their homes to rest, Ramos also said. But while they thought that the possession was over, four more students started screaming and convulsing yesterday, just before a mass was to be celebrated on the school grounds.

A cool-headed assessment of what ails these students would have been the prudent thing to do, especially considering that we’ve long known about clinical mass hysteria. Students seem to be particularly susceptible.

According to a 2011 story in Time,

“Mass hysteria [is] a bizarre yet surprisingly common phenomenon that is increasingly recognized as a significant health and social problem. For centuries it has crossed cultures and religions, taking on different forms to keep pace with popular obsessions and fears. In our post-9/11 world, it thrives on the anxiety caused by terrorist attacks, nuclear radiation and environmental gloom. “At any one time there are probably hundreds of episodes happening all around the world,” says Simon Wessely, a psychology professor at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London. “They just don’t normally get reported.”

And anyone with an Internet connection — including, I presume, clergymen — can learn via the U.S. National Institutes of Health and other sources that

Epidemics of hysteria rely on the power of suggestion, but they are nourished by fear, sadness and anxiety. Victims tend to be subjected to severe psychological strain over the preceding weeks or months. One or more then develop a psychosomatic symptom, and those made suggestible by pent-up anxiety quickly follow suit. Before long, dozens are vomiting, fainting and screaming. The strain of exams is a common trigger.

But hey, what do scientists know?

The Filipino padres intend to get to the bottom of the phenomenon:

Msgr. Joseph Tan, media liaison officer of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said that the incident will be investigated. Tan said that the Church is considering the possibility that the incident may just have been a case of mass hysteria.

Thanks, Sherlock. Might it have been a good idea to consider that explanation before performing exorcisms, scaring the bejesus out of kids who already appear to be surrounded by all manner of spiritual poppycock?

(Image via Shutterstock)

Ohio Religious Conservatives Look to Challenge Roe v. Wade with “Heartbeat” Abortion Ban

The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Ohio House Health and Aging Committee passed an abortion ban that would ban the procedure whenever a fetal heartbeat is detected — as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The bill contains language to account for situations that would endanger a pregnant woman’s life, but makes no exception for rape or incest victims.

House Bill 248, the so-called heartbeat bill, would outlaw abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Supporters want to use the bill to initiate an immediate court challenge that, they hope, would lead to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The bill is similar to a ban passed by the Ohio House in 2011 — bills so extreme that even some anti-abortion legislators and groups are concerned that it would be damaging to existing abortion restrictions, should it become law — and then inevitably make it into the courts, where it and other measures might be struck down. Ohio Right to Life opposed the previous bill and has remained neutral on this one.

Nonetheless, the bill’s sponsors were so intent on passing it that they went so far as to reorganize the committee to ensure passage, as well as limiting testimony and time for consideration:

Before the morning hearing, some Republicans expected to vote no were replaced with members who support the legislation…

Opponents complained that the bill had only one hearing, and that testimony was limited to three hours, preventing some witnesses from addressing the committee.

Reactions were predictably mixed. Supporter and Ohio State Representative Matt Lynch (R) took to Twitter to encourage his followers to pray for the bill’s continued success.

Heartbeat Bill passed in Health Committee, now pray it is voted on House Floor

— Matt Lynch (@MattLynch4Ohio) November 20, 2014

On the other side, Democratic State Representative John Patrick Carney noted:

“Time and again, the people who do the work of delivering babies and taking care of women who are pregnant are saying this is bad… This committee certainly makes it seem like medicine and science is our enemy.”

As if religious fundamentalists would ever let things like science get in the way of belief…

The bill still has ways to go before becoming law, but it just got past the first hurdle.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Jim for the link)

Fox News Hosts, 48 Hours After Saying Obama Lacks Religiosity, Bemoan How He Quoted Bible Verse in Major Speech

On November 20, President Obama spoke about his immigration policy changes. During the address, he referenced the Bible, saying specifically, “Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger — we were strangers once, too.” (This injunction is found numerous times in the Bible, in Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 10:19, Exodus 23:9, and Leviticus 19:34.)

The hosts of Fox & Friends were particularly incensed — not at the policy in this case, so much as the President’s audacity to quote the Bible. The criticism ranged from the bizarre to the hilarious.

Steve Doocy noted that the verse in question mentioned “nothing about visas.” The verses (of course) never reference visas, but it seems a curious objection, since the fact that the Bible doesn’t actually address a topic has never stopped the Religious Right, including the hosts in question, from referring to Jesus and the Bible as the reason for their stance on a myriad of issues from the “War on Christmas” to marriage equality to abortion rights.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, citing Proverbs as part of a “scripture showdown,” chided the president’s use of executive action, as opposed to seeking an “abundance of counsel.”

But the best response came from the terminally loquacious Tucker Carlson. Referring derisively to the President’s quotation as the “Bible Scholar-in-Chief lecturing us,” he declared,

… for this guy specifically, the President, who has spent his career defending late term abortion, among other things, lecturing us on Christian faith? That — that’s too much! That is too much. We always hear “the Christian right, the Christian right.” This is the Christian left at work, and it’s repugnant.

Carlson’s mortification that the President could as easily play the Bible-thumping game as the Religious Right was hardly at an end. He later reiterated his idea that the Bible was simply not for the other side’s use, wondering:

But to quote Scripture? That is totally out of bound — that is just out of bounds.

When Hasselbeck reminded him that she had just quoted the Bible and wondered if that too was “out of bounds,” he walked his outrage back a bit. (At this point, Steve Doocy helpfully observed that Hasselbeck’s quote was “just different,” apparently on the solid ground that her cherry-picked verse benefited their point, but Obama’s didn’t — therefore her’s was appropriate, and Obama’s was not.) Carlson declared that it was “outrageous” to quote the verse in such a fashion as to suggest that a lack of immigration reform was oppressive.

And Hasselbeck, presumably having forgotten her own quote of earlier, in which she implied that the president was a “fool” for bypassing the counsel of Congress, declared it wrong to use the Bible to “guilt someone” into action.

Perhaps the most amusing part of the entire affair is, as Media Matters notes, two days earlier, Fox & Friends had been bemoaning President Obama’s lack of religiosity, as compared with past presidents like Ronald Reagan.

While it’s unfortunate that many expect our President and legislators to get their moral guidance from the Bible — or justify political actions with a text as flawed as that one — I confess a degree of amusement in watching the Religious Right squirm when the tactic is used against them.

What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality?

The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, discusses what the Bible says about homosexuality.

The video comes from a section of the book Strange Flesh by Steve Wells.

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.

Some Thoughts on Debating Christians

A while back, The Atheist Experience‘s Matt Dillahunty asked me a bunch of questions about debating Christians (strategies, arguments, etc) for a video series he’s been putting together. That video was just released the other day, so I hope you find it interesting!

You can see Matt’s other videos right here.

Early Christians in Egypt Worshiped “Seth, the Living Christ”; Scholars Scrutinize Their Book of Spells

Using magic, how can you subjugate a male enemy? Easy:

[Y]ou have to say a magical formula over two nails, and then “drive them into his doorpost, one on the right side (and) one on the left.”

That bit of supernatural advice can be found in a mysterious, 1,300-year-old Egyptian codex that’s written in Coptic. (Somewhere, Dan Brown is in the throes of arousal.)

“It is a complete 20-page parchment codex, containing the handbook of a ritual practitioner,” write Malcolm Choat and Iain Gardner, who are professors in Australia at Macquarie University and the University of Sydney, respectively, in their book, “A Coptic Handbook of Ritual Power.”

In the first millennium C.E.,

[M]any Egyptians were Christian and the codex contains a number of invocations referencing Jesus.

However, some of the invocations seem more associated with a group that is sometimes called “Sethians.” This group flourished in Egypt during the early centuries of Christianity and held Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, in high regard. One invocation in the newly deciphered codex calls “Seth, Seth, the living Christ.”

I obviously regret very much that his name wasn’t Brian instead.

Historical records indicate that church leaders regarded the Sethians as heretics and by the 7th century, the Sethians were either extinct or dying out.

Perhaps, 13 centuries from now — or sooner? — present-day Christianity and other faiths will also have sunk into oblivion, their rare documents providing scholarly excitement to a few and the occasional moment of you-don’t-say entertainment to billions who’ve evolved. Here’s hoping.