Via Boing Boing and by friend Richard.
I used to be a Christian. Born of atheist parents, I stumbled upon this on my own. But there was a day my faith disintegrated: it was when I realized that the exact same sensation of God's love that I felt at Christian gatherings was absolutely indistinguishable from the adrenaline rush and sense of cultural belonging that I felt at a rock concert.
I can only add, re-branding guitar hero into a worship tool is cheesy.
I attended the birthday of my grand niece over the weekend. Pony Rides, a petting zoo, and a dozen knee high children make for many good photo opportunities. I saw this and could not help myself. I looked like a scaled down version of a murder scene on a book cover.
A friend send me a link to this story with the tag line "I'm sure the guard was an overzealous Buddhist." He's close. I'm betting the guard is a redneck fundie minimum wage California transplant.
VAN NUYS - A routine trip to the Social Security office Monday turned into 30 minutes of shock, disbelief and irritation for Lapriss Gilbert, who was forced to leave the federal building by a guard who objected to her "lesbian.com" T-shirt.
As she headed for a line to pick up a Social Security card for her son, Gilbert was stopped by a guard who said her T-shirt, naming an educational and resource Web site for gay women, was offensive.
She said the guard, who works for a private company hired by the Department of Homeland Security, demanded that she leave the building or face arrest.
Source: T-shirt gets Van Nuys woman kicked out of federal building
Drunk with power and backed up by Homeland Security - this security guard picked on the wrong woman. She's going to own them when this gets to court.
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Replace the word lesbian with the word atheist in this story and you capture the essence of my anger. If this can happen to an innocent young girl appealing for help from her school's principle, it can happen to a young atheist too. I would hate to be trapped in Florida's fundie belt.
When a high school senior told her principal that students were taunting her for being a lesbian, he told her homosexuality is wrong, outed her to her parents and ordered her to stay away from children.
He suspended some of her friends who expressed their outrage by wearing gay pride T-shirts and buttons at Ponce de Leon High School, according to court records. And he asked dozens of students whether they were gay or associated with gay students.
Source: High school principal outs a lesbian student to her parents, suspends students who support her
Former Principal David Davis (demoted to teacher) crossed the line separating secular education from his Christian beliefs. Instead of helping a young girl in need, he punished her and repressed any sign of support for her. What he did was in keeping with the Christian world view that homosexuality is evil. This shows how hard it is for Christians to separate what they think is right from our constitutionally mandated civil rights. Davis did not get it. Nor did the school board. Nor did the community in which they all live.
"We are a small, rural district in the Bible Belt with strong Christian beliefs and feel like homosexuality is wrong," said Steve Griffin, Holmes County's school superintendent, who keeps a Bible on his desk and framed Scriptures on his office walls.
Instead of protecting his students, Davis conducted a witch hunt. Instead of firing Davis, Steve Griffin simply demoted him. Davis acted like a fundie nutball.
"Davis embarked on what can only be characterized as a 'witch hunt' to identify students who were homosexual and their supporters, further adding fuel to the fire," U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak recounted in his ruling. "He went so far as to lift the shirts of female students to insure the letters 'GP' or the words 'Gay Pride' were not written on their bodies."
I'm surprised he did not perform a strip search. Because... you know, lesbians wear special underwear. What a nutball. I am again reminded that gay rights is an atheist issue. Each attack on a gay person is driven by Christian theocratic tenancies. We must push back.
I am grieving for my truck this morning. I took it in to the local Toyota dealer for what I though was a simple repair. Silly me. The estimate came back at over five thousand dollars. A short had caused a small electrical fire which ruined a wiring harness. The harness alone runs four thousand dollars.
After a intense afternoon I was pleased to find that my insurance will cover the repair. They will also pursue the issue with Toyota because they feel the problem falls under a manufacturing defect.
I visited a wiring harness factory in Acuna, Mexico a few years ago. I was consulting on an Oracle problem. As part of the visit, I was given a VIP tour of the manufacturing facility. Inside, there were ten thousand people standing shoulder-to-shoulder under one roof. Automation was limited to a wire cut off machine and a circulating rack that held the wire bundles as they moved through the factory. The wires moved down the assembly line at a slow but constant pace. A worker would have a few feet to move along with the harness as it progressed to through the assembly process. Workers have a single job, they crimped, wrapped, cut, or routed during their allotted time with the harness. The process never ended.
I was offered a chance to work the line. I manned a station for 20 minutes while the woman whose job it was to wrapped tape around a bundle of wires looked on. She smiled, but underneath I could see she was worried about my skills. I did 10 harnesses in 20 minutes. I'm sure one of them ended up in my truck.
When Toyota told me my harness had fried, I flashed back to the manufacturing process used to make it. I knew only a expert could repair it. Even then, a repair would introduce new problems. I opted for a new harness. It's make to order. I hope nobody else stands in while it is made.
I had a odd moment on the phone with my mom today. She reads my blog. It bothers me for some reason. I don't like to think that I write for an audience. I started blogging simply to deal with the stress of graduate school. I still write to relive stress. I have a hard job made all the more difficult because of a highly charged political environment. So I write about whatever is in my head at the time I sit down at my computer. I just write.
I write fewer stories about my experiences because it's easier to pump out atheism based content. Plus, I'm not so sure people care. Oh wait - screw the whole audience thing, right? I should just write a few stories for myself. So here is a story from my day. If you don't like it, move on to one of my 2,700 other posts.
My wife's started my day today by reminding me to drop off a load of my son's clothing at the local Salvation Army. I had carried the clothing around in my truck for nearly two weeks. My wife was annoyed at my lack of follow through. You see, it's the start of the new school year. She's worried that poor kids might need my son's old clothing. She's a good woman at heart. I never think about this kind of thing.
After my 6:45 AM game of disc golf, I stopped at the Salvation Army to make a donation. I look like shit. I need coffee and a shower. It was 8:30 AM.
The fence was open and the place looked active so I walked towards the donation center looking for a warm body. I found a man moving boxes. I asked if they were open. His response was amazing. I'll do my best to repeat it below.
He yells, "Do we look open?" - He gestates with dirty hands around the parking lot. I look around and nod "Yes''.
He approaches while waving his hands. "That's what's wrong with you people, we're not open. We never open this early".
He puts his hands on his hips and then points at the Sun. "It ain't time yet. What does it take for you people to get that?"
He looks at me like he expects an answer. I keep my mouth shut.
"You people, you donors, you think you own the world. You come in here and drop your broken down shit off and expect me to jump around like a slave kissing your ass. Well let me tell you, we ain't open yet so I'm not kissing your ass."
I ask, "When do you open"? I'm already thinking about breaking his legs. I need to leave.
He points at the building and says "Figure it out yourself".
I look. I don't see any numbers, no time, no indication of open or closed, just a jumble of signs. I ask again. He says, "What are you, stupid? 9:00 AM".
I'm a nice guy, but I'm not a nice guy at the same time. I've heard it described as slow fuse, big boom. I think about hitting him in a soft spot, but dismiss it quickly. It's better to just drive away, so I do.
I'm back in 25 minutes. Mr. Nasty (that's what I call him now), has transformed into Mr. Nice Guy. I hold 50 pounds of clothing. He asks me to put it in the container for him. I say, "No, I expect you to jump down here and kiss my ass". He looks at me kind of funny. I see the lights come on.
He jumps down off the truck and offers an excuse. "Look man, this job sucks. I was just blowing off steam". I look him off. It scares him. He jumps back into the donations container and does some writing at his kiosk while muttering insincere apologies. A moment later he hands me three receipts and then winks. I just walk away.
My wife thinks I'm a hero.
I'm speechless. What is the term when has no words to write?
Jesus Christ had a homosexual relationship?
Those words, written on a poster above the image of a topless man tenderly kissing Jesus on the neck, angered dozens of students Thursday night at Lorain County Community College.
Before I get attacked, I want to state that I understand the first amendment. Christopher Burns and his campus group Activists for Atheists has every right to express their free speech. I simply do not understand why They put up a poster that is designed to be so offensive.
I do not care what other people believe. It's none of my business. I am moved to action when Christians try to legislate morality or when they try to take away my rights. But to attack simply to piss Christians off seems counter productive.
“The purpose of the poster is to get students to see something they haven’t seen before,” he said. “The chances are it challenges them to challenge something they thought they knew.”
I'm going to call "bullshit" on this statement. The poster stirs outrage while pushing some Christian's buttons regarding homosexuality. It does not stir debate. Instead, it pushes people away. In fact, the comments are focused on the offensive nature of the imagery, and not on the message behind the poster. I doubt many people who viewed the poster are going to follow up by requesting more information from the Activists for Atheists gmail account. In fact, I would go so far as to say I know the type of email they will receive. It will not be a dialog.
Worse yet, the Christians are not having their faith challenged by picture of Jesus and a gay kiss (I must admit I don't understand why one would challenge the belief of another) No, Christians will see the image and reinforce inaccurate stereotypes instead.
Note to Christians: All atheists do not think Jesus was gay. Some of us do not believe he lived at all.
I read a lot of news. I enjoy reading and find keeping up with the news helps me keep my life in perspective. I also read a few stories about wayward pastors and their odd sexual proclivities. I call it godnews. At times, godnews makes my stomach turn. At other times, it gives me a headache. Like in this story.
OAKLAND, Calif.—The FBI is investigating allegations that the pastor of a Ugandan megachurch molested a 13-year-old girl during a flight from Denver to Oakland.
Forty-one-year-old Jackson Senyonga initially was arrested by Oakland authorities after the flight landed Saturday. But Alameda County prosecutors say they've referred the case to the FBI because of jurisdictional issues.
Authorities say Senyonga fondled the girl, who was seated next to him during the flight.
Senyonga frequently preaches at Bay Area churches and is known internationally as a poverty-relief advocate. In Uganda, his Christian Life Ministries has 100,000 members.
Source: Ugandan pastor accused of molestation on flight - San Jose Mercury News
I've come to understand a few things about pedophile pastors. They prey on the weak, but usually from within their own flock. Sexual abuse is usually hidden behind layers of trust. They do not hunt in the open. Their crimes a hidden.
When I read about a man fondling a young girl on an airplane. I know the man is dangerous. He is a man who will attack in public. A man you dominates others. When that man is a pastor... I get a headache. I know the authorities will treat him like he is special. I know that unless public outrage reaches out to touch his case, it will be brushed under the carpet. If his crime happened, Jackson Senyounga needs to feel the full weight of the judicial system come crashing down around his shoulders. No mercy. Don't let him go home to Uganda. Take him off the streets.
Former Baptist youth pastor Mathew Porter was sentenced to a insignificant four months in jail. Porter was the youth pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Ellenton, Florida. Porter secretly video taped girls aged 12 to 16 at his home while they changed in his bathroom.
Porter pled guilty to his crime. Before all you theists get misty eyed, he only did so after the judge refused to throw out the video tape evidence of his crime. He plead guilt to avoid a nine year prison sentence. He is a fraud and hypocrite.
Watch close people. A few years from now Porter could turn up as a youth pastor at your local Baptist church. The Southern Baptist Convention does nothing to prevent this. They don't care about your children.
Related Posts:
Former youth pastor Terrence Jenkins was charged with a second sexual assault charge. This time his victim was a 14 year old girl.
I first posted on Jenkins a few weeks ago. It was not a large post. I did not know then that Jenkins would be charged as a Baptist serial rapist.
Youth pastor Terrence Jenkins was charged with predatory criminal sexual abuse against a child. Jenkins is a Baptist. He serves at the Faith United Baptist Church in O'Fallon, Illinois.
He'll get a little more coverage now.
Charles Thomas Hogland, a former pastor in Longview, Texas, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old relative. Hogland is 59. My guess is that he lives three years in prison. That's a hell of a price to pay for impulse control.
I believe that pastors should be held to a higher standard. When they violate a trust, an extra stiff penalty should be attached to the crime. OK, death at the hands of the general population is over the top, but tacking on an extra five years to a 20 year prison term sounds about right.
The investigation into the background and possible additional crimes of former Youth pastor Joshua Ponder spread to his former church. Prior to his arrest for the sexual assault of a teenager, Ponder was a youth pastor at the First Baptist Church of Palestine from June 2001 to May 2007.
The Rev. Jay Abernathy, pastor of First Baptist Church of Palestine, was notified of Ponder’s arrest late last week and said the church would cooperate with police in the investigation, if asked.
“We are shocked and saddened by this incident, and are praying for everyone involved,” Abernathy said Monday afternoon. “We have made counselors available to our youth and families who may be hurting and will be available to anyone in our church and community who wants to talk.
“We are working to respond to everyone hurt by this.”
The police will talk to every young person Ponder came into contact with while a youth pastor in Palestine. The conversations will be intrusive and embarrassing. This is how atheists are born. For atheist born of pastoral misconduct, it comes with a profound loss of faith when one learns that a person they trusted with their closest secrets are capable of apocryphal leadership and morally corrupt levels of sexual violence. Joshua Ponder's crime will touch dozens of young lives. Are there really people out there in Texas who think the small good Ponder accomplished as a youth pastor offset this level of violence and intrusion?
Related post: Baptist youth pastor arrested on sex charges
I attended a seminar by Edward Tufte on Presenting Data and Information yesterday. It was held in the ballroom of the Marriott hotel in Universal City, next to Universal Studios. I attended with my friend and fellow statistics geek, Richard. Besides picking up four outstanding books by Tufte, I picked up a story that I will retell for a long time to come.
I was impressed by the size of the audience. I estimate 400 people were seated for the opening remarks. What few seats remained were filled within 20 minutes. The audience was at least 70 percent male. At our first break the rush on the restroom was enough to convince me to wait for a better opportunity.
Midway through the next segment I left the conference for a brief break. I was gone for only a few minutes, no more than five in fact. Upon my return, I opened the door quietly. I did not want to disturb the intensely focused audience. My seat was on the isle six rows from the door on the left side of the room. Tufte's assistant was standing in front of my seat holding a book. It looked old. It was an first edition of Euclid's Elements, published in 1570.
I floated to my seat. The book moved away down the isle. I felt a moment of deep regret. Why had I left my seat? How had I missed this geek's dream of an opportunity? Did I really miss seeing one of the most important geometry texts ever published because I had to pee? I smiled at Richard. He replied "You missed it". I thought, "D'oh".
I few moments later Elements moved back in my direction. Tufte's assistant paused in front of me. For a few brief moments I was in book geek heaven.
Later in the day an original copy of Galileo’s Galleleo's Istoria e dimonstrazioni intorno alle macchie solari, was shown by Tufte himself. It was turned to the page where Galileo proclaims the annual movement of the earth. Wow.
Riemann's Cut asks an interesting question. What does an Atheist do when asked to be a Godparent? I've been an Atheist all of my adult life (a long time now). The question has come up from time to time. I've always said no, or better yet, I've put out a feeler telling my family they should not ask. On the other hand, I try to be a good uncle or cousin because I'm interested in participating in the social life of my extended family. Riemann's struggling with his decision:
I have no idea what I will say or how I will react. I wonder if things will get heated and I describe my true feelings about baptism, that to inflict a religion on an infant is immoral. Maybe I'll come out a closer definition of what I am, a "Non-Theistic Agnostic" and just maybe they'll realise I've thought about this for a long time. Or maybe I'll just go ahead with it... adopt some kind of nihilistic viewpoint that nothing really matters anyway, and declaring devotion to a falsehood negates ones actions automatically. It would be the same as signing myself up as a heretic during the inquisition though. Sure, I'd save myself a load of hassle but I'd be betraying myself and the truth.
I've always just opted out. I simply say something like "It would be inappropriate for me to participate because I do not share your faith". They usually understand. My statement is not about their beliefs, it is about mine. I usually ask if I can participate in some other way. That's what I love about my wife's Filipino culture. I think they invented the word "sponsor" especially for me.
