Does the 700 Club create murderers?

Scott Roeder, the gunman who admitted to killing abortion doctor George Tiller revealed in his trial that it was the 700 Club which led him to becoming a born-again Christian and anti-abortion.

In his remarks for the defense Thursday, Chief Public Defender Steve Osburn told the jury that Roeder began participating in the antiabortion movement after becoming a born-again Christian in 1992 while watching "The 700 Club" alone in his living room.

 700 Club, is of course, the right-wing extremist Pat Robertson's show. Robertson actually believes that the recent Haitian earthquake is the result of god punishing Haitians for an alleged deal with the devil for their freedom from slavery.

This is an example how religious-right programs, like the 700 Club, radicalizes Christians into murderers or worse.

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The former Pope flagellated himself

There is news that the former pope, Pope John Paul flagellated himself in order to "feel closer to God".

Like many young people, although not a christian, I still admired the Pope growing up. I had no idea.

The book, which was published Tuesday, reveals that even when he was not ill, he inflicted pain on himself, known in Christianity as mortification, so as to feel closer to God.

"In Krakow as in the Vatican, Karol Wojtyla flagellated himself," Oder writes in the book, citing testimony from people in the late pope's close entourage while he was bishop in his native Poland and after he was elected pope in 1978.

"In his closet, among his vestments, there was hung on a clothes hanger a particular kind of belt for pants, which he used as a whip," Oder writes.

The very notion that pain should make you closer to your god is laughable. The very fact that he was engaged in this irrational behavior  alters my perception of the last pope. If I had only known.

This is pure crazy. 


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Why don't more people just blame satan?

According to a Harris interactive poll from 2008, 59% of Americans believe that Satan is a real entity. This number is higher than the acceptance of evolution.

It's surprising that you don't hear of this defense more as this man in England has tried.

A man who firebombed a house in Lanarkshire in broad daylight claimed the devil made him do it, a court has heard.

Prosecutor Paul Kearney said: "When the police arrived Mr Johnstone was asked to put down the hammer and he told them: 'The devil made me do it. The devil told me to do it at 2am, God told me not to. That's why I did it during the day'."

The  man is obviously crazy, even though he had the balls to pull it off. But let's face it, he is only considered crazy by society because the devil won the argument and the actions he took because of this sincere belief. If god had won the day, and the man had followed God's instructions and thrown flowers instead, society would have looked the other way.

I just love the imagery that this story provides. Here is some poor crazy schlep, whose delusions have found a place to roost in religious beliefs, listening to an argument by god and the devil as to which action he should take.

It's like those cartoons where an angel and devil appears on a person's shoulder and urges the correct, or wrong, moral decision -- except in this instance both characters are on the same page -- they just had a difference as to what time he should have thrown the firebomb.

If I recall, the devil usually seems to win these pitched arguments.

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God is petty. Small. And easily offended.

Technology brings all sorts of useful things to our lives. Apparently, ring tones which summon the Mulsim faithful to prayer is offensive to God.

Egypt's top cleric wants Muslims to answer the call to prayer, but not when its ringing on their cellphones. 

Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa issued a fatwa, or a religious edict, on Wednesday urging Muslims to do away with a popular fad - Quranic verses or the five daily calls to prayer as cellphone ringtones. The government-appointed cleric says such ringtones are inappropriate, misleading and demeaning to God's words.

"God's words are sacred. ... He ordered us to respect them and glorify them," Gomaa said.

God is petty and a busy body and has no clue about modern amenities and conveniences. You'd think a reminder to prayer would be useful, but no, it is an affront to god according to his representative.

You don't need to give me another reason to laugh and abhor at the whole idea of God -- but now that you have -- thank you.

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Blessings. Stupid custom.

Catholics like to bless all sorts of things from Harley's to beer. Christians generally love this custom.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has blessed two lambs whose wool will be shorn to make shawls for newly appointed archbishops to wear.

And this is considered a sane activity by Catholics!?!? Mumbling magic words over lambs wool is going to what? Make them impervious to wear and tear? No.

I have to ask them, doesn't their god have better things to then worry about favoring some particular material item? The pope is one to go on and on about materialism, but when it comes to material goods, the pope is sure willing to demonstrate his concern.

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Threatening to get your way

In order to continue the unconstitutional use of prayer, just threaten God's wrath in order to get your way.

If the city doesn't host the prayer meetings, Jackson said: "The water in the rivers will come up and flood the city. ... This is the word of the Lord."

Stay classy Mobile.

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Death metal rooster

This is too good to pass up. We, at the Hypatian Shore, dig death metal and grindcore.

(H/T to Dave K via Facebook)

If you want to mock the atheist, pray for him

Ireland has a regressive, backward blaspheme law. Ireland's atheists are attempting to test the law by publishing quotes online from authors that they believe challenge the constitutionality of the law in an effort to repeal such a law. Instead of reacting to affront to the freedom of conscience that the Ireland blaspheme law represents, this Christian would rather spend his vehemence by attacking the atheist response.

So yes, Christians must battle against the secularists' new bold vehemence to removing faith from state. We must make this a fight. But how? By matching argument for argument? By championing new laws for the respect of faith? By boycotting Hollywood? Perhaps.

Stating that you can only "perhaps" match the atheist with an counter-argument is sure sign that you've come to the end of your resources. Which type of faith: Islam, Christian, Hindu, etc?  I highly doubt that a Christian would want to live under the conflation of Islamic faith with state, likewise with the others.

But I believe this battle will not be won using natural weapons of influence political, philosophical, intellectual, social. I believe this is a supernatural battle that must be won in prayer. God can be not be proven, but he can be experienced and known. Today, let's pray for those who doubt God, that they may meet him and know him in all his goodness and mercy. 

God can not be proven the Christian states in his argument, but yet goes on to state that God can be experienced. God can either be experienced or he can not. If you can experience something, you can have evidence of something. These are mutually exclusive propositions. Which is it?

Knowing that he is beat, the Christian turns to a prayer, mocking the atheist.

God, you are, and you are good. You made us curious and independent yet only able to fulfill our destiny when we turn our imagination toward you and choose to be dependent on your infinite power and love. We pray today for all those who doubt your reality. Show them your love. Impose yourself on them, with firmness and kindness. Surprise them with your joy and the freedom they all so passionately long for. In Jesus..."

Its a common tactic. When a theist has been defeated by an atheist's arguments, they all too frequently throw their hands up and state they'll pray for you. They appeal to your emotions instead. At this point, the theist is conceding any rational argument.

As for the prayer itself, you have to tell God you know he's good? That's hilarious. Shouldn't God already know and how you feel without reaffirmation? Praying for an atheist is highly offensive. Essentially, you are demanding God to reprogram him like some kind of wind-up robot so you can have your way.

Whereas freedom of speech makes necessary space for mockery of religion, so too is the theist has the freedom to mock the atheist with prayer. The only answer to this prayer is mockery in return.

And that's what the Christian misses by "championing new laws" that mandate respect of religion.


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America is not a Christian Nation

You hear it endlessly, "America is a Christian nation" from the religious right. The intent of such a statement is to conflate state legislative power with a religious or theological predication. This why the religious right asserts America was "founded on Judeo-Christian" principles. Blue laws to blaspheme laws, like in Ireland, are such a conflation between church and state. In other words, the religious right wants to force you what and how you believe. And if the law can force compliance, then so be it.

Malaysia is such a place where not only there are secular courts, but religious courts. These courts are based on Sharia law.

A judge ruled Thursday that Christians had the constitutional right to use the word Allah to refer to God. The judge, Lau Bee Lan, found that a government ban was illegal. Government lawyers said they might appeal. In Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, minority groups had viewed the ban as a symbol of institutionalized religious discrimination. Judge Lau was ruling on a lawsuit filed two years ago by The Herald, the Malaysian Roman Catholic Church’s main publication, after the government blocked non-Muslims from translating “God” as “Allah” in their literature. The authorities have said that Allah is an Islamic word that should be used exclusively by Muslims. Officials are believed to be afraid that Muslims reading Christian literature might be tempted to convert to Christianity. Recently, the government confiscated 10,000 copies of Malaysian-language Bibles because they contained the word Allah.

This is how you know that the United States is not a Christian nation. Our courts are constitutionally forbidden to interfere with a way a religion express itself (as well as individuals), unless that expression is by committing offenses that clearly are against the law. (Sometimes this is on a state by state basis.) Sexual abuse, coercive exorcism, or failed faith healing of a minor which leads to death are all cases which church and state separation don't protect the evil-doers.

Same goes if you decide to switch your religion. You don't have to appeal to a court in the United States to do so -- although I am sure there are those on the right that would love to have this type of circumspect control. 

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Jesus flesh needs a sanitary dispenser

I don't know if this is something to be ridiculed or something to envy.

I wish I thought of this device: communion-wafer dispenser. Considering the number of churches and bible-believing Christians, the potential market for this molded plastic cylindrical device, that features a handled-mug with a trigger, could be quite lucrative. 

Apparently, there is a lawsuit between the manufacturer and the former president of company for patent infringement of said device.

I would rather ridicule.

You mean to tell me that Christ's actual flesh has to be kept germ free and in a sterile, hands-free environment? If the magic is that powerful to turn ordinary cracker flour into flesh (and not just ordinary flesh: Jesus' flesh), then it seems perfectly reasonable to me that the spell can be made more effective by just adding a few extra words to make it germ-free.

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