“I’m proud we are standing up for religious freedom in our state. Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion.” ~ Rick Perry 13 June 2013 Rick Perry, who has been the governor of Texas for what feels like an eternity, signed the “Merry Christmas Bill” into law today. The bill—HB 308—authored by Rep. Dwayne…
by Willie B. Lakey “Nobody fucks with the Jesus.” ~ John Turturro as Jesus Quintana in The Big Lebowski It’s times like Wednesday that can really drive a gambler crazy, along with setting a good example of why it’s so tough to beat Las Vegas. Not that I’m encouraging anyone to gamble, nor am I basing this…
“Man is kind enough when he is not excited by religion.” ~ Mark Twain “If you are really bothered by gay people getting married, you’re an asshole. End of fucking story.” ~ Joe Rogan I served as a squad leader in the U.S. Army Infantry, including a combat tour during the early stages of the…
Sexual repression, legislating morality, and censorship; pillars of the sanctimonious do-gooders who have given us laws against oral and anal sex, prohibition of alcohol and the war on drugs, and the muzzling of artists and songs such as Garth Brooks’ The Thunder Rolls music video, Madonna’s Justify My Love, Sinead O’Connor from SNL for criticizing…
A Key Notion in Both PTSD Recovery and Citizen Activism You know you should be asleep. The more you stress over it, the more difficult it becomes to go to sleep. All the proper sleep hygiene techniques have been applied. The windows are totally blacked out and the gentle hum of a fan is all…
It’s time once again for Fun with Biblical Interpretation! In this installment, we dive into the second chapter of the second book of Kings, specifically verses 23–24—everyone’s favorite tale of heavenly vengeance and wild animal attacks! 2 Kings 2:23–24 (KJV) 23 And he (Elisha) went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up…
The opposite of love isn’t hate. The opposite of love is fear. Sages and enlightened men and women throughout the ages have encouraged us to embrace this axiom, again and again. Unfortunately, humanity’s usual method for accommodating mystics and messengers is to either disregard or kill them. Since our common era associates this time of…
I was 14 years old before I had my first encounter with Jesus Christ. Up to that point, I had heard enough about the basic story to get around in the world—born on Christmas, raised from the dead on Easter, and the whole “Born of a Virgin” thing. But I never had to deal with…
by A. G. House How are religious fallacies detrimental to foreign policy? If voters base their foreign policy ideas on notions such as that America should favor Israel over other nations because God supposedly said to Israel in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and…
Time for some fun with biblical interpretation! The Bible is a weird, psychedelic collection of books. Take, for example, Ezekiel Chapter 1, Verses 4-24. Is the author employing a parable or analogy to describe some event of great importance? Is he using the limited vocabulary of his time to describe an extraterrestrial spaceship landing in…
“I don’t know if God exists, but it would be better for His reputation if He didn’t.”~ Jules Renard “All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.”~ Thomas Paine Just because I don’t…
For years, adherents of Christian fundamentalism have insisted that “the gays” should not be allowed to marry, as it is clearly forbidden in the Bible. It is a great sin, they say. God has declared that homosexuality is wrong, and you shall surely burn in Hell. The passage most often cited to support this rhetoric…
Approximately 8 billion years from now, our great star will become a red giant, doubling in size, engulfing the Earth, and life as we know it will cease to exist. Of course, we don’t have to worry about that. In the next billion years, long before it burns out, our star will continue to grow…
the chaos section 