The website godchecker.com lists roughly 4,000 “weird and wonderful Gods, Supreme Beings, Demons, Spirits and Fabulous Beasts” which have been worshipped since the beginning of recorded history. Many are still being worshipped. It’s quite an amusing and exhaustive collection of deities, demons, and demigods like saints. All gods and demons
Continue readingTag: religious intolerance
Views from the Beltline: What about the atheists?
We hear a great deal about religious bigotry these days. Islamophobia so concerns the federal government that it recently appointed an anti-Islamophobia representative—Amira Elghawaby. (Ms. Elghawaby immediately got into hot water herself and had to apologize to Quebeckers for uncharitable remarks she had made about the good people of that
Continue readingScripturient: The Talibangelist Conspiracy to Rule America and the West
Talibangelists (aka (aka the pseudo-Christian, far right) would love to force everyone believe in and obey their highly-adulterated pseudo-religion, and to punish those who don’t. Or won’t. Punishment is big on their agenda: unbelievers, those who stray, followers of a real faith, scientists, intellectuals, people of colour, gays, people with
Continue readingScripturient: Trump plays the god card
For a nation that allegedly separates church and state, Americans sure love to splash religion all over everything, their elections especially. So this week, Donald Trump made headlines by accusing the frontrunner, Joe Biden of being “against god.” Cue the angels with trumpets. Americans make big oompah sounds about their
Continue readingScripturient: Why are American evangelical Christians so cruel?
The article in Forbes’ Magazine, March 11, didn’t ask that question I used in my headline. Instead, the headline simply stated the piece would explain, “Why White Evangelicalism Is So Cruel.” (The author later republished this on his own site under the less pointed title, “Why the Religious Right is
Continue readingScripturient: Godless – The Truth Beyond Belief
“Godless – The Truth Beyond Belief” investigates one of the last frontiers in civil liberties and human rights: Atheism. So reads the opening sentence on the website of a new film about atheism and society. It asks, “can you be good without god?” Well, yes, you can. That’s the whole point
Continue readingScripturient: Fake Ark, Fake Religion
Well, it finally opened: the $100 million-dollar Noah’s Ark theme park in Kentucky that features an allegedly life-size model of the mythological boat described in the Bible. It’s 510 feet (155.4m) long, 85 feet (26m) wide, more than three …
Continue readingScripturient: The Myth of Persecution
I just finished reading The Myth of Persecution by theology professor Candida Moss (Harper One, New York, 2013). I picked it up because of my general interest in theology, but also my more specific interest in early church history. I didn’t reali…
Continue readingScripturient: One Small Step, One Long Whine
The Supreme Court of the United States made a landmark decision last week that states cannot constitutionally (i.e. legally) ban same-sex marriage. The bottom line: under the Constitution, every citizen is entitled to the same rights and freedoms regardless of sexual orientation. Most of the world celebrated with the USA
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Instructional Video
The following has been floating around the Internet for some time, but it warrants renewed circulation, in that it shatters some of the stereotypes about Islam. I would suggest it could edify Prime Minister Harper, but I live in the real world, a world where Canada’s leader, for crass political
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: But Can He Heal Himself?
That well-known metaphysician to the fundamentalist Christian soul, ‘Doctor’ Pat Robertson, prescribes some strong medicine to combat an infectious workplace agent: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Told You The Right Hates Rachel Maddow
Listen to this for confirmation: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What Do Mark Twain And Charles Darwin Have In Common?
If you thought their commonality lay in their capacity for observation, thought, and contribution to the general good, guess again. First, Mr. Twain’s shocking ‘truth’: Next, the real story about the depraved Mr. Darwin: I’m certainly glad that he didn’t resort to any hyperbole in his litany of their ‘sins,’
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: My Second Surprise Today
Earlier today., I posted a brief piece on how, despite my reservations about Justin Trudeau’s leadership capacity, I found his openness and honesty refreshing when it came to pot. The second surprise I got today was the fact that he spoke quite candidly about his opposition to Quebec’s proposed ban
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Price of Plualism
There is a price for the privilege of living in a pluralistic society, and that cost, which the majority of people willing pay, is tolerance for the views and beliefs of others. Tolerance, while not requiring the embrace and adoption of the values held by others, does entail respecting those
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