Butterflies and Wheels update
Ophelia Benson
New in "Latest News"
Landlord blocks atheist billboard in Hasidic neighborhood
"It has been very disconcerting to see that the traditional victims of religious bigotry have become the purveyors of religious bigotry," said Dave Silverman.
Filed: March 7, 2012
The Hasidic campaign against Deborah Feldman
Interesting that they don't try to defend the sexist practices and dogma.
Filed: March 7, 2012
Radio stations, advertisers drop Limbaugh
So it's not ok to call a woman a slut and a prostitute just because you disagree with her politics? Whaddya know.
Filed: March 7, 2012
Pair found guilty in “witchcraft” murder
The teenager had refused to admit to sorcery and witchcraft and his punishments in a "deliverance" ceremony became more horrendous.
Filed: March 7, 2012
James Randi on America the gullible
A sizable portion of the U.S. population accepts as a given that an unseen world of magical paranormal power exists, and that we can take advantage of it
Filed: March 10, 2012
Philosophers apologize for discussing ethics
It's a mistake to apologize for discussing ethics.
Filed: March 13, 2012
An atheist at Alcoholics Anonymous
"God is not looking after me and the Cosmos does not care if I relapse on cheap vodka or not."
Filed: March 13, 2012
Karzai publishes clerical statement that women are inferior
Women are subordinate to men, should not mix in work or education, and must always have a male guardian when they travel, says the Ulema council.
Filed: March 13, 2012
Kenan Malik on tolerance as obedience
Tolerance is all too often now about the constraining of speech in the name of promoting a plural society.
Filed: March 14, 2012
Brendan O’Neill looks down from a very great height, again
"Supporting gay marriage has become a kind of shorthand way of indicating one’s superiority over the hordes, particularly those of a religious or redneck persuasion."
Filed: March 14, 2012
Jesus and Mo on redefining the pub
Pubs are for beer. Cafés are for coffee. You can't just redefine things!!1
Filed: March 14, 2012
New in "Notes and Comment Blog"
- People who know what god likes
Filed: March 6, 2012 - Human rights and _____ rights
Filed: March 6, 2012 - A fatwa crashed down on de Botton’s head
Filed: March 6, 2012 - A deep practice of interiority
Filed: March 6, 2012 - Man boobz v Reddit
Filed: March 6, 2012 - Atheists v Hasids
Filed: March 7, 2012 - “Atheists are not being persecuted”
Filed: March 7, 2012 -
True or false: atheism is the source of all evil
Filed: March 7, 2012 - Anoint all the roads with holy oil
Filed: March 7, 2012 -
The mountain is out
Filed: March 7, 2012 - Good morning from Manchester
Filed: March 9, 2012 - Current
Filed: March 10, 2012 - Get me, I have a hand
Filed: March 13, 2012 - Nope, still too strident
Filed: March 13, 2012 - Secondary
Filed: March 13, 2012 - Is she doing her job in a satisfactory fashion?
Filed: March 13, 2012 - Does truth matter?
Filed: March 13, 2012 - Definitely disgusting Bren
Filed: March 14, 2012 - Keep your little pulses
Filed: March 14, 2012 - Who wrote this crap?
Filed: March 14, 2012 - More strident shrill atheism
Filed: March 14, 2012 - Lord Justice Laws
Filed: March 14, 2012
Ophelia Benson
New in "Latest News"
US Solicitor General supports appeal of cross ruling
Obama admin sides with theocrats of Liberty Institute, making Supreme Court hearing more likely. What the hell?
Filed: March 15, 2012
Rape victim forced to marry her rapist, kills herself
Amina Filali, 16, swallowed rat poison after being severely beaten by her rapist "husband."
Filed: March 15, 2012
Catholic church bullies victims’ group
Bill Donohue explains, “The church has been too quick to write a check, and I think they’ve realized it would be a lot less expensive in the long run if we fought them one by one.”
Filed: March 15, 2012
Egypt: setback for women’s right not to be raped by cops
On Sunday, an Egyptian military tribunal acquitted an army doctor of performing so-called virginity tests on seven female protesters last spring.
Filed: March 15, 2012
Laila Lalami on the culture of silence in Morocco
The public prosecutor failed Amina by not immediately proceeding with an arrest and an investigation.
Filed: March 16, 2012
US religious group holding “vigil” at London abortion clinic
Robert Colquhoun, a campaign director of 40 Days for Life’s London campaign, said they are there to pray and to show there is love in the community.
Filed: March 16, 2012
Rock Beyond Belief wins a victory
If you care about the constitutional rights of our nation’s armed forces personnel, and you most certainly should, make the trip out to Fort Bragg, N.C., and witness history unfold.
Filed: March 16, 2012
Tom Martin’s sex discrimination case against LSE dismissed
Mr Martin was ordered to pay the LSE’s legal costs subject to a financial assessment.
Filed: March 16, 2012
Sarah Ditum on anti-abortion bullies
Abortion opponents are alarmingly willing to adopt increasingly aggressive tactics aimed at abortion providers and the women they treat.
Filed: March 16, 2012
Leo Igwe addresses the UN on belief in witchcraft
He criticised governments for aiding and abetting belief in witchcraft, leading to the torture and killing of innocent women and children in Africa and around the world.
Filed: March 17, 2012
Lauryn Oates on bad excuses for doing nothing
At what point does our own society reach perfection, giving us permission to worry about the problems of others?
Filed: March 18, 2012
Vatican launches criminal probe into unauthorised leaks
Not child rape, not concealment of child rape, but leaks that allege corruption. That's Vatican morality for you!
Filed: March 18, 2012
CofE schools expanding to combat “aggressive secularism”
Because theocracy is so obviously preferable.
Filed: March 18, 2012
Toulouse: gunman kills 4 at Jewish school
"He shot at everything he could see, children and adults, and some children were chased into the school," Michel Valet, the local prosecutor, told journalists.
Filed: March 19, 2012
Samira Ibrahim and Egypt’s virginity test trial
Blaming it all on the woman for being present at a demonstration seems to be a satisfying solution for some sectors of Egyptian society.
Filed: March 19, 2012
Nick Cohen on the spectre of militant secularism
'Militant secularist’ has become the ‘neo-con’ of the 2010s: a know-nothing label that signifies extremism, without explaining where the extremism lies.
Filed: March 19, 2012
Redefining marriage ‘will lead to accusations of hate crimes’
The Iona Institute reports "UKIP’s openly gay London Regional Chairman" as warning.
Filed: March 19, 2012
‘Honour’ crime victims living in fear in the UK
Qawal had freedom in Pakistan but that all changed when she came to England and was beaten not only by her husband but his mother as well.
Filed: March 19, 2012
One dead, six rushed to hospital from faith healer rally
The deceased was discharged from an ICU before attending the rally where televangelist Chris Oyakhilome was said to perform miracles and cure the sick.
Filed: March 19, 2012
Florida atheists scrub Polk County “anointed” roads
Last week, Polk Under Prayer campaign members buried bricks engraved with Psalm 37:9-11 beside 12 major roads, praying for criminals to become Christian or be incarcerated.
Filed: March 19, 2012
Nigeria: reporter threatened over Boko Haram coverage
First Boko Haram threatened him, now the government is threatening him.
Filed: March 19, 2012
FFRF ad in NY Times: quit the Catholic church
FFRF placed an open letter via a full-page ad in March 9 NY Times urging liberal and nominal Catholics to “quit” their church over its war against contraception.
Filed: March 19, 2012
More on the scrubbing of Polk County roads
They plan to bring mops, spring water, and soap. They also plan to bring their support for Humanists of Florida President EllenBeth Wachs.
Filed: March 19, 2012
New in "Notes and Comment Blog"
- Currently in the news
Filed: March 15, 2012 - Tidying up
Filed: March 15, 2012 - Oh now that’s really crafty
Filed: March 15, 2012 - A triumph for the Texas Taliban
Filed: March 15, 2012 - We don’t need altar boys
Filed: March 15, 2012 - Catholic thanatophilia, December 2010
Filed: March 16, 2012 - December 2010: Episcopal evil
Filed: March 16, 2012 - Bishop to hospitals: let women die, that’s an order
Filed: March 16, 2012 - Another week, another inch of heathen progress
Filed: March 16, 2012 - Hazlitt
Filed: March 16, 2012 - Well that went awry
Filed: March 16, 2012 - Mark your calendars
Filed: March 16, 2012 - Frivolous law suit dismissed
Filed: March 17, 2012 - @USCCB
Filed: March 17, 2012 - The marketers advise them
Filed: March 17, 2012 - Normally there’s a big cozy plinth
Filed: March 17, 2012 - And now a word for the laydeez
Filed: March 17, 2012 - That would be never
Filed: March 17, 2012 - Entry 47235
Filed: March 18, 2012 - Belief as pickpocket
Filed: March 18, 2012 - Last Sunday afternoon at the Manchester Mercure
Filed: March 18, 2012 - Reducing the influence of religion in the world
Filed: March 18, 2012 - Theocrats spy an opening
Filed: March 18, 2012 - Cleanliness is next to…what was it again?
Filed: March 19, 2012 - Militant is the new neo
Filed: March 19, 2012 - Yes and no, and then again maybe
Filed: March 19, 2012 - Vote with your feet
Filed: March 19, 2012