Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Palestinian youth: Choosing death over occupation
Al Jazeera speaks to some of the families and friends of Palestinian youth who died while launching attacks on Israelis. Read more
Shot, shattered and bloody at Ramallah's hospital
Repairing the wounds from Israeli rubber-coated steel bullets, live ammunition and tear gas Read more
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
A closer look at America’s rapidly growing religious ‘nones’
Religiously unaffiliated people have been growing as a share of all Americans for some time. Pew Research Center’s massive 2014 Religious Landscape Study makes clear just how quickly this is happening, and also shows that the trend is occurring within a variety of demographic groups – across genders, generations and racial and ethnic groups, to name a few...
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/13/a-closer-look-at-americas-rapidly-growing-religious-nones/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/13/a-closer-look-at-americas-rapidly-growing-religious-nones/
7 reasons Catholics leave church (in Trenton, #1 is sex abuse crisis)
Washington (CNN) – Even though Roman Catholics are the second-largest religious group in the United States, the tradition has seen an exodus of members in recent decades. One in ten Americans is an ex-Catholic...
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/30/7-reasons-catholics-leave-church-in-trenton-1-is-sex-abuse-crisis/
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/30/7-reasons-catholics-leave-church-in-trenton-1-is-sex-abuse-crisis/
Restoring the Balance
A Progressive Vision of Religious Liberty Preserves the Rights and Freedoms of All Americans...
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/report/2015/10/20/123623/restoring-the-balance/
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/report/2015/10/20/123623/restoring-the-balance/
How a few scientists transformed the way we think about disease - Tien Nguyen
For several centuries, people though diseases were caused by wandering clouds of poisonous vapor. We now know that this theory is pretty ridiculous, and that diseases are caused by specific bacteria. But how did we get to this new idea of germ theory? Tien Nguyen describes the work of several scientists who discredited a widely accepted theory in a way that was beneficial to human health.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/N9LC-3ZKiok
Interview:
https://youtu.be/N9LC-3ZKiok
GOP Vs. Dem Debates, Side By Side
I don't think much needs to be said about this. The contrast speaks for itself. (h/t Media Matters) ... Read more
https://youtu.be/6gyw2OiLGmk
https://youtu.be/6gyw2OiLGmk
Saudi Arabia “defends” Human Rights on Monday, beheads a man on Thursday
The country chairs a consultative panel in the UN Council on Human Rights. Today, Ali Mohammed Al-Nimhr, 21 years old, was to be beheaded and crucified.
See more:
http://evangelicalfocus.com/world/1002/Saudi_Arabia_defends_Human_Rights_on_Monday_beheads_a_man_on_Thursday_
See more:
http://evangelicalfocus.com/world/1002/Saudi_Arabia_defends_Human_Rights_on_Monday_beheads_a_man_on_Thursday_
America’s Companies Keep Pledging To Reduce Emissions
Companies are making the economic argument for curbing climate change, offering support in the run up to the Paris talks in ... Read more
The Future Of The Democratic Party Will Be Decided By The Supreme Court
The Democratic Party is facing an apocalypse if the Supreme Court moves further to the right, and the only way for them to stop ... Read more
CBS Refuses To Air 'Truth' Trailer
CBS has refused to air the trailer for “Truth” – a new film that covers the controversy that followed a 60 Minutes report on George W. Bush's time in the National Guard.
https://youtu.be/oJimA6MmyYU
https://youtu.be/oJimA6MmyYU
GOP Governors Won’t Stop Trying To Illegally Defund Planned Parenthood
Texas wants to strip Medicaid dollars from Planned Parenthood to "protect the unborn." ... Read more
'Pro-Life' Republican Impregnates Sex Worker, Begs Her to Have an Abortion
–Pro-life Louisiana State Sen. David Vitter begged his mistress to abort his child
https://youtu.be/EqanMh9qsrc
https://youtu.be/EqanMh9qsrc
Monday, October 19, 2015
BREAKING: Judge Refuses To Expand Wisconsin Voter ID Law To Help Students And Veterans Vote
"I think it calls to question the real purpose of these voter ID laws," ACLU attorney Sean Young told ThinkProgress. ... Read more
Arrests of Palestinians in Israel soar amid crackdown
More than 100 Palestinian citizens of Israel, including minors and activists, arrested during protests this month. Read more
Eight of ten women sexually harassed in Iraq
Report says harassment increasing due to failure of laws to recognise phenomenon and punish perpetrators. Read more
Israeli hummus cafe gives Jewish-Arab tables 50% off
Owner offers free refill to Jews and Arab dining together, to show that "we're all human beings". Read more
Creationism - Hear the Scientists Respond
Scientists counter the claims of intelligent design proponents. Here is an excellent documentary on the "controversy" surrounding evolution called "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial".
Interview:
https://youtu.be/AKVNWwk7LIg
Interview:
https://youtu.be/AKVNWwk7LIg
How you could get burned by your new credit card
While not all of the new cards issued will necessarily come with changes that affect use, some will. The main culprit is the expiration date.
Read more
Read more
U.S. deficit now lowest since 2007
The federal deficit for the fiscal year that just ended was the smallest in eight years. Spending was up over last year, but tax revenue rose more.
Read more
Read more
Deputy Caught Raining Punches On Suspect After High Speed Chase
News cameras caught a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy throwing haymakers at a suspect on the ground after a high speed chase in Southern Califo... Read more
High-Flying Hothead?: Federal Court Says There’s No Religious Freedom Right To Insubordination
Wilson, a Mormon, read an article about the ceremony taking place at West Point’s chapel and got so worked up that he decided to email the Academy’s Commandant of Cadets to protest it.
... Read more
... Read more
Reading, Writing And (No) Religion?: Tenn. Lawmaker Files Bill That Would Ban ‘Religious Doctrine’ From Public Schools
Since Butt’s bill is a bit vague and was motivated by fear, it’s hard to say how it will be implemented should it pass – and whether or not its implementation would be good or bad for Tennessee youngsters. A bill that inhibits public schools from promoting one religion or viewpoint over all others is generally positive, but if it goes too far and removes legitimate instruction about religion and its role in history, that’s bad.
... Read more
... Read more
Most killed by US drones were not targeted: report
The US assassination programme increasingly relies on drone strikes based on flimsy evidence, secret documents claim. Read more
Bill O'Reilly to Ben Carson: 'Are You Really a Creationist?'
Dr. Ben Carson told Bill O'Reilly tonight that the far-left is attacking his faith and beliefs because he refuses to "submit to their nonsense."
https://youtu.be/DBJMTd8jzDs
https://youtu.be/DBJMTd8jzDs
Mike Huckabee Blasts Racism, Then Tweets Uber-Racist Tweets
Mike Huckabee thinks that racism exists because America has a “sin” problem, or at least that’s what he Tweeted out during the Democratic debate. He then followed that up with an incredibly racist Tweet about Asians. Is that the kind of “sin” he’s referring to?
http://youtu.be/pzjoqwFAI4I
http://youtu.be/pzjoqwFAI4I
Jesse Ventura: How About a MAXIMUM Wage?
How much income is too much? The former Minnesota governor rallies for the living wage and against the greed at the core of income inequality. Ventura's latest book is "American Conspiracies, Second Edition" (http://goo.gl/23IruK).
https://youtu.be/ZosIUP2cGEo
https://youtu.be/ZosIUP2cGEo
Smearing Secularism: The Ongoing Right-Wing Attack On Religious Neutrality
The secular state protects your right to worship (or not) as you see fit – and it realizes that the best way to do that is by not elevating one faith over another.
https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/smearing-secularism-the-ongoing-right-wing-attack-on-religious-neutrality
https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/smearing-secularism-the-ongoing-right-wing-attack-on-religious-neutrality
Let’s Call Clinic Violence What it is: Domestic Terrorism.
In the past few weeks, Planned Parenthood clinics have seen an increase in anti-choice violence, likely ignited by the heavily edited videos from a sham anti-choice, extremist organization.
https://medium.com/@NARAL/let-s-call-clinic-violence-what-it-is-domestic-terrorism-2dc8479d3696
https://medium.com/@NARAL/let-s-call-clinic-violence-what-it-is-domestic-terrorism-2dc8479d3696
Honoring our wives’ lives and deaths
We are two ordinary men who married extraordinary women who died too young from cancer...
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/10/15/honoring-our-wives-lives-and-deaths-commentary/
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/10/15/honoring-our-wives-lives-and-deaths-commentary/
The Problems with Catholic Hospitals
Hemant Mehta (http://www.friendlyatheist.com, http://www.patreon.com/Hemant , https://www.facebook.com/friendlyatheist)
http://www.mergerwatch.org/
http://news.atheists.org/2015/09/29/a...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendly...
Additional discussion and reader comments here --
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/10/18/the-problems-with-catholic-hospitals/
...
If you're a woman who's giving birth and you're having a C-section, you might decide that you're also done having kids and you'd like to have your tubes tied so there are no unplanned pregnancies in the future.
The doctor is already performing surgery, they've already cut you open, so performing a tubal ligation actually lets you kill two birds with one stone.
It's a safe procedure. Medical professionals even say that if you want your tubes tied, doing it during a C-section is a good idea because the doctor's already in there and you won't have to have another surgery. Between 25-30% of married adult women in the U.S. have the procedure done. Not a big deal.
But let's add a twist to this. (Get it?)
What if you're at a Catholic hospital? Doctors there will perform a C-section, no problem, but they will not perform a tubal ligation. Why? Because they're getting their directives, not from medical professionals but from Catholic bishops.
Basically, anything that functions as contraception is forbidden in the Catholic faith. And this rule applies even if future pregnancies would put the woman's life in jeopardy.
You all know the Church opposes birth control. But Catholic hospitals also won't perform vasectomies on men.
And if a woman's life is in danger because she's having an ectopic pregnancy and the fetus is stuck in a fallopian tube, Catholic hospitals won't allow the woman to take a drug that would abort the child to save her life.
Instead, they'll remove her whole fallopian tube, reducing her ability to get pregnant in the future, even though it's medically unnecessary. Because that's what Jesus would do.
In other cases, if a woman's been raped, Catholic hospitals won't give her emergency contraception. They won't help a woman trying to get pregnant using a sperm donor, either, because that's outside the confines of marriage.
Catholic hospitals are more interested in adhering to arbitrary religious rules than providing quality health care.
This is a big deal. Because Catholic hospitals are everywhere. And in many states, they're taking over local health care. A report from the ACLU said 1 in 9 hospital beds are now run by a Catholic health care system.
They also get billions of dollars in taxpayer money from the government every year to keep this charade going.
And it also affects poor people disproportionately because they're the ones who can't always afford traditional check-ups, so they go to the hospital when things are really bad and they need care immediately. For their sake, let's hope it's not a reproductive issue.
So why talk about this now? Two reasons:
1) The ACLU recently sued a Catholic health care provider in San Francisco because a woman was denied a tubal ligation during a C-section.
2) American Atheists has proposed legislation that would require all hospitals to be up front about what procedures they won't do because of the provider's religious beliefs.
https://youtu.be/IiozTki2K1o
http://www.mergerwatch.org/
http://news.atheists.org/2015/09/29/a...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendly...
Additional discussion and reader comments here --
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/10/18/the-problems-with-catholic-hospitals/
...
If you're a woman who's giving birth and you're having a C-section, you might decide that you're also done having kids and you'd like to have your tubes tied so there are no unplanned pregnancies in the future.
The doctor is already performing surgery, they've already cut you open, so performing a tubal ligation actually lets you kill two birds with one stone.
It's a safe procedure. Medical professionals even say that if you want your tubes tied, doing it during a C-section is a good idea because the doctor's already in there and you won't have to have another surgery. Between 25-30% of married adult women in the U.S. have the procedure done. Not a big deal.
But let's add a twist to this. (Get it?)
What if you're at a Catholic hospital? Doctors there will perform a C-section, no problem, but they will not perform a tubal ligation. Why? Because they're getting their directives, not from medical professionals but from Catholic bishops.
Basically, anything that functions as contraception is forbidden in the Catholic faith. And this rule applies even if future pregnancies would put the woman's life in jeopardy.
You all know the Church opposes birth control. But Catholic hospitals also won't perform vasectomies on men.
And if a woman's life is in danger because she's having an ectopic pregnancy and the fetus is stuck in a fallopian tube, Catholic hospitals won't allow the woman to take a drug that would abort the child to save her life.
Instead, they'll remove her whole fallopian tube, reducing her ability to get pregnant in the future, even though it's medically unnecessary. Because that's what Jesus would do.
In other cases, if a woman's been raped, Catholic hospitals won't give her emergency contraception. They won't help a woman trying to get pregnant using a sperm donor, either, because that's outside the confines of marriage.
Catholic hospitals are more interested in adhering to arbitrary religious rules than providing quality health care.
This is a big deal. Because Catholic hospitals are everywhere. And in many states, they're taking over local health care. A report from the ACLU said 1 in 9 hospital beds are now run by a Catholic health care system.
They also get billions of dollars in taxpayer money from the government every year to keep this charade going.
And it also affects poor people disproportionately because they're the ones who can't always afford traditional check-ups, so they go to the hospital when things are really bad and they need care immediately. For their sake, let's hope it's not a reproductive issue.
So why talk about this now? Two reasons:
1) The ACLU recently sued a Catholic health care provider in San Francisco because a woman was denied a tubal ligation during a C-section.
2) American Atheists has proposed legislation that would require all hospitals to be up front about what procedures they won't do because of the provider's religious beliefs.
https://youtu.be/IiozTki2K1o
Pope Francis calls for changes to papacy and a more decentralized church
Francis also said it was “necessary and urgent to think about a conversion of the papacy”, a possibility that was first floated by the late Pope John Paul II in 1995.
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/10/18/pope-francis-calls-for-changes-to-papacy-and-a-more-decentralized-church/
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/10/18/pope-francis-calls-for-changes-to-papacy-and-a-more-decentralized-church/
Voters to GOP: 'I'm not a scientist' won't cut it on climate change
Voters understand what's happening, and they want the government to take action...
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-maibach-gop-climate-change-position-20151016-story.html
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-maibach-gop-climate-change-position-20151016-story.html
The Ten Commandments
Special Guests (in alphabetical order) God, Sarah Palin, and George Washington tell us how the Ten Commandments are the basis for all American laws. Or not.
https://youtu.be/eWrdy1z-IB4
https://youtu.be/eWrdy1z-IB4
Kim Davis Finally Throws In The Towel On Marriage Licenses
Davis made headlines after denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples earlier this summer. After four couples filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky ... Read more
Corporations Demand Budget Cuts, Owe Government $660 Billion
How many times have we heard corporate-funded conservatives and "centrists" whine about "deficits" and demand cuts in the things government does to ma... Read more
Thanks, Obama!
Tennessee has a school district that shut down. Closed the doors. Turned out the lights. Made themselves gone. Because … Obamacare. Yep, that's it. T... Read more
Ben Carson Is Running For President To Profit And Prophet
The National Review Online is hardly a Leftist publication known for being tough on Republicans. However, this post from yesterday might upset a few o... Read more
Wilmore: We're Looking For Commander — Not Entertainer — In Chief (VIDEO)
Yes, the Democratic debate was "a little boring," but on Wednesday's "Nightly Show," host Larry Wilmore made the case for a policy-focused debate. Re... Read more
The Non-Violent Way Young Palestinians Are Flipping Israel's Script
The last few weeks have brought hell to the streets of Jerusalem and throughout Palestine and Israel. Palestinian teenagers are stabbing Israeli soldi... Read more
After Pushback, Utah 6th Graders Won't Learn About Climate Change
After complaints from parents about new science education standards, Utah officials edited the standards to push back classroom discussion of climate ... Read more
So Much Awesome In One Story
Frequent Fox News guest who was billed as a national security badass allegedly made up his 27-year CIA career. He fooled Fox and the State Department,... Read more
McTeacher's Nights: Teachers Unions Say No To School Fundraisers
During McTeacher's Nights, teachers stand behind the counter at McDonald's, serving up food to their students who come in. At the end of the event, the school gets a cut of the night's sales.
http://n.pr/1hGWt6f
http://n.pr/1hGWt6f
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Pro-Choice Group: Arson Attacks At Planned Parenthood Clinics Are ‘Domestic Terrorism’
The president of NARAL, a prominent national abortion rights group, issued a blistering statement on Friday criticizing the press for devoting insuffi... Read more
Jeb Wants Recession in Major U.S. City
Maybe it's reverse psychology, or maybe Jeb Bush is trying to reenergize his flagging White House bid by diving cuboidal-head first into absurdity, bu... Read more
Ongoing pain for Irish victim sawed open in childbirth
Irish MPs call for the scrapping of a controversial compensation scheme for women who underwent horror procedure. Read more
3 Insidious Myths About Migrants
After risking their lives to make the journey, migrants face damning stereotypes from many European officials.
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/10/16/3713380/migrant-fears/
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/10/16/3713380/migrant-fears/
Rightwing Terrorists Are Killing More Americans Than Jihadists Are, And Now The DOJ Will Act
The U.S. government's counterterrorism policy has largely focused on Islamist radicals. ... Read more
Iceland does what the US won’t: 26 top bankers sent to prison for role in financial crisis
The prosecutions are the result of Iceland’s banksters manipulating the Icelandic financial markets after Iceland deregulated their finance sector in 2001. Eventually, an accumulation of foreign debt resulted in a meltdown of the entire banking sector in 2008.
Read more
Read more
Russia Insider: Vladimir Putin on terrorism, Syria and Russia’s foreign policy
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an interview to Rossiya-1 television channel presenter Vladimir Solovyov on Oct. 11. He spoke about the military operation in Syria, fighting with terrorists, and the ambitions of Russian foreign policy.
https://youtu.be/BKi6Y2-ULb4
https://youtu.be/BKi6Y2-ULb4
Ehrman-Bass Debate Did the Historical Jesus Claim to be Divine
Dr. Bart D. Ehrman met Dr. Justin W. Bass on September 18th, 2015 at 6:30 PM in Collin College Preston Ridge Conference Center Frisco, TX Auditorium. Did Jesus really claim to be God? In an age of social media, skepticism and doubt, the conversation about Jesus in the public square has never been more divided. The event was hosted by "1042 Church" http://www.1042church.com where Justin Bass is lead pastor.
Pre-debate Post: http://ehrmanblog.org/live-stream-the...
Program discussed on Bart Ehrman's Foundation Blog: http://ehrmanblog.org/?p=9199
Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude.
Dr. Justin W. Bass is Lead Pastor of 1042 Church in Frisco and Professor at Dallas Christian Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Bass received his Undergraduate Business degree from Southern Methodist University, and his Masters of Theology and Doctorate in New Testament Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary.
https://youtu.be/NJ1x-0CNE_U
Pre-debate Post: http://ehrmanblog.org/live-stream-the...
Program discussed on Bart Ehrman's Foundation Blog: http://ehrmanblog.org/?p=9199
Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude.
Dr. Justin W. Bass is Lead Pastor of 1042 Church in Frisco and Professor at Dallas Christian Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Bass received his Undergraduate Business degree from Southern Methodist University, and his Masters of Theology and Doctorate in New Testament Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary.
https://youtu.be/NJ1x-0CNE_U
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