religion

Richard Dawkins at the Atheist Alliance International conference on Atlanta, Georgia.

By Bob Carr
Sydney Morning Herald

This week we have heard about an increasing international trend to prosecute religious issues in the courts.

In Britain cases are being brought under laws such as the Religious Hatred Act, which makes it a crime to "stir up" "religious hatred". British police have even warned that insulting Scientology would be treated as a crime.

Such legislation may soon be heading to a statute book near you.

The Australian Human Rights Commission is finalising a report almost certain to recommend legislation on religion - on freedom of religion or religious vilification - that would mean similar prosecutions being launched under national law.

It seems that there has been a whole lot of discussion about the intersection of sex and religion doing the rounds recently.

The Sydney Atheists recently participated in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, wearing buses with slogans including 'Keep religion out of the bedroom', 'Out of the atheist closet' and 'Queer and happy without god'.

This is awesome awesome awesome. Obama takes a stance against the dogmatic prejudice of religion. Some quotes:

"We are no longer a Christian nation."

"Folks haven't been reading the Bible."

"...universal rather than religion-specific values."

"...in a pluralistic society, we have no choice."

"...religion doesn't allow for compromise."

Obama has lifted funding restrictions on stem cell research which is good, seeming that there is very little reason to cut funding. It seems to be more of a religion vs medicine controversy than a controversy amongst medical ethicists.

More suicide bombings in Iraq it's sad that we are hearing this kind of news so regularly these days. "Person from (x religious group) had killed (#)people from (y religious group)". I know that there's more politics to it than that, but it seems that religion plays a major role in this kind of nonsense.

Wow, a cross the size of the statue of liberty.

So, what do you think?

Is it a gaudy eyesore? An expression of religious freedom? A waste of money? A sign of hope?

My favorite bit is at about 4:00, when they start going on about cheesus.

Another great moment is at 5:40

"I don't see her"
"I don't either, but it's still a good story"

A man decapitates his son to save his soul from the devil.



Sometimes, people will ask me 'why are you so concerned with religion? They are just nice people trying to do good'. My answer is that religions are so often linked to atrocities, like the above. It is entirely possible for a person to justify pretty much any horrible act through the bible (and I guess that holds true for other religious texts too)

There was a woman on whom an exorcism was performed thrown out by a court when seeking compensation for suffering

A Kazakhstan court has banned Scientology as an abuse to the rights of freedom of religion. More developed countries should be ashamed that thay have note done the same.