It is not in the scope of his duty to report child molesters to the authorities??

It is not in the scope of his duty to pass on information to anyone outside the church officials?

It is not even in the scope of his duty to inform the PARENTS of the possibility that their children might be in danger? (he interviewed the children, but did not pass on the danger that he discovered during those interviews)

It’s worth a read.

Our Lady of Sorrows, a fundamentalist Catholic school in Phoenix, chose to forfeit the championship final rather than play against Mesa Preparatory Academy, because the school has a 15-year-old girl Paige Sultzbach on their team.

Read more: Catholic school in US refuses to play in baseball final because of girl on opposing team

The reason given:

"Our school aims to instil in our boys a profound respect for women and girls. Teaching our boys to treat ladies with deference, we choose not to place them in an athletic competition where proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty."

A helpful redditor offered this clarification. 

Just wanted to clarify: this is NOT a Catholic school. It's a Society of St Pius X (SSPX) school. SSPX is not recognized by the "official" Catholic church, nor by the Pope, and they are generally acknowledged (among actual Catholics) as being troublemakers at best. I just wanted to clarify this because the title of this post is misleading.

I’d assume that a Catholic school not recognized by the pope makes it a Catholic cult. I’m not sure which piece of news I find more disturbing, a wrong-headed religious decision, or the discovery, for me anyway, of another cult. I know so little about religion, nor do I understand it well.

I was browsing a book on the war a few weeks ago. It contained a number of his photos; Including this one. Seeing it again evoked an emotional response. I could feel the woman’s grief. I stood looking at it for long time. Photos that pull on your emotions are rare. Faas produced dozens in his career.

Few people understand the impact Faas had on photography. He’s recruited and trained dozens of photographers during his time in Vietnam. Including the man who took the war’s most iconic photo.

My's younger brother, Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut, followed his brother at AP and under Faas's tutelage won one of the news agency's six Vietnam War Pulitzer Prizes, for his iconic 1972 picture of a badly burned Vietnamese girl fleeing an aerial napalm attack.

Read more: Horst Faas - the images that changed course of history and touched the human heart

Fass died of complications from a chest infection. He was 79. The New York Times Obituary is good, the Lens remembrance is outstanding.

I took at cab back to the airport on my return trip.

Brijbag was the youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Booksville. He is married with three children. The plea deal allows him to avoid prison and the sex offender registry.

As part of his plea agreement, Brian Brijbag, 36, will serve three years probation, undergo sex offender counseling, pay a $964 fine and have no contact with his accuser.

Source: Plea lets former Brooksville youth Minister avoid prison

This story posted on May 11th. This morning an anonymous poster dropped the following comment in Blogger’s comments. (I moved it to Intense Debate).

I am sorry but your article seems very ignorant. I do not know this man at all but I do believe he is innocent. The 17 year old said they did not have sex and after 4 hours of being objectified by a law enforcement officer (who is now fired and has been arrested for nonrelated sexual charges), she confessed but with extreme restraint. Please educate yourself fully on a matter before you post something as hateful as this article.

This comment does not ring true to me, does it to you? Whoever made it is trying to point blame away from Brijbag and towards the victim. Who would do that except for somebody involved in the case?

The only reason Drake prayed in public for Chen Guangchen is publicity. What does the bible say about praying in public?

Matthew 6:1-34 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward

And

Matthew 6:6 - But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Now that seems pretty clear, right? Wiley Drake may not actually be a Christian if he so blatantly prays in violation of the word of God. Perhaps he’s one of those other things… a Republican.

Mr. Clark organizes 50 different topics into a discussion discussion guide that uses plain English and easy to understand explanations to cover various aspects in Catholicism and Christianity. I found the book an easy read, and interesting. The target audience is a person who is not well versed in religion, the bible, or theology.

Topics covered include:

• Epicurean Paradox
• We would not have moral guidance without God
• Bible Contradiction
• Purgatory
• Noah’s Ark
• Pedophilia
• Witch hunts

This book is not a deep tome, nor does it cover it’s subjects in detail. Consider it a mostly accurate summary of the subjects covered from an Atheist’s perspective. It’s short, at 33 pages, with most sections are just a few paragraphs long. If you are unfamiliar with Catholicism, this book will give a few good discussion points and prime you for a deeper dive.

The history behind this book is fascinating. James Clark was born in Jijeka, Croatia to a atheist father and and slightly theist mother. Clark was taught as a boy to think for himself. Since Croatia is mostly Christian, Clark cataloged his thoughts and ideas so that he could use them when talking to Christians. This book is the first 50 topics and was translated to English from Clark’s native Croatian. The next 50 topics are pending. 

I’m a fan. Well done Mr. Clark.

I found Andy Warhol on the side of a building on North Cahuenga in Hollywood today. My son and I were off for a dude’s day at Amoeba, Hennessy and Ingles, and then Umami Burger. We had a blast, and then hurried home for video games.

My son asked why I take my camera with me when we go out. I explained that it’s like hunting. I’m looking for photos the way a hunter looks for prey. If I don’t have a camera, I can’t shoot my prey.

Today I shot three pieces of street art, one graffiti, a girl with tattoos, and several photos of cops on three-wheeled patrol carts. As usual, I only like one or two photos in post edit.

Tapia's coworkers said they found chats with an individual representing a 16-year-old boy from Argentina. They also claim to have found photographs of young boys with exposed genitalia.

In March, the FBI searched Tapia's computer at Excel Learning Center and found pictures that appeared to be of children between the ages of 12 and 13 with their genitals exposed.

Yet, this man’s alleged crimes did not stop his supporters from showing up in court. 10 people were hoping he would be released because he is nice guy and no threat to the community at all. The judge ruled Tapia should be locked up. I’m sure the citizens of El Paso are pleased.

"He was a real professional gentleman, always on time" said Robert Chavez.

Tapia appears to have admitted to at least some of the crimes, which is rare in these types of cases because the penalties are so high. Perhaps he will do the right thing here and take responsibility for his alleged crimes. You never know.

Anonymous said... What a bunch of hate mongers you all are. Turns out the guy is INNOCENT. I think the crazy people are the ones pushing hate out into the world and spreading these horrible accusations about an innocent man. Instead of posting your hate and moving on I hope a few of you scumbags keep up to date with this and write a blog about how horrible you feel about being such a douche-bag. And screw you, the less evil people in the world (who else would read your trash blog) that know my name, the better.

Anonymous said... Also, "Deep Thoughts"?!?! Are you kidding me?! If these are your "Deep Thoughts" you're a complete simpleton. Please don't breed.

• Holland native Karl VanderWoude maintains his innocence in New York “groping” case
• Karl Vanderwoude Insists He Is Not the ‘Well-Dressed’ Groper

I must admit that my appreciation of the Beastie Boys awoke late in life. I was not a fan in the 80s, but the 90s was a different story. My son Jon played them around the house all the time, I learned to like them, and then to love them. This song, So What cha Want, is my favorite. RIP MCA

The police started investigating the case last week after a woman reported that Asplund had violated a court order barring him from contacting her 13-year-old son. An officer found that Asplund had given the boy a cell phone; the officer found that it contained sex-related text messages from Asplund.

Investigators soon discovered that Asplund had been molesting both the 13-year-old boy and his 14-year-old friend, according to the report by Detective James Hoagland. Asplund later admitted to the allegations in an interview with the detective, the report states.

What I found most disturbing about this case was the allegation that one of the rapes occurred during a church lock-in event. That’s were youth pastors lock kids in the church gym all night for some kind of religious ritual, or what I call, pastors special play time. Oak Harbor says it has a strict policy about adults being alone with children, and then it creates an environment where abuse can happen. That seems a little short sighted and disingenuous.

Rule 14… never let kid sleep overnight in the church gym with the youth pastor.

Gonzalez said yesterday that the growing number of victims are making up their stories in a bid go after the fortune of London's former benefactor, Elizabeth "B.J." Huizenga Buntrock. As reported here recently, the very wealthy Buntrock, cousin of mogul H. Wayne Huizenga, financed London's homes and vehicles and founded the Eagle Academy Charter School in Lauderdale Lakes where he was made dean of students.

I don’t think this defense will pass scrutiny. The scheme too complex for children to have come up with it, and, how are the kids supposed to get rich from this?

In other news, text messages show that London liked to molest his victims while they played videogames.

After one boy asks in a text if he can play the "Call of Duty" video game, a text sent from London's phone asks to perform a sexual act on the boy while he plays.

It’s pretty sick stuff. London’s defense attorney is playing the text messages off as a conspiracy by the victims. I understand why people hate lawyers.

The thing about Las Vegas is that behind the scenes, the city is pretty brutal. This man sleeps beneath a bridge in front of New York, New York. A thousand people pass him by every hour. Few people pay him any attention. There were dozens of men and woman just like him hidden here and there. You just needed to look.

I watched two cops talk to a homeless man on a walkway over the Strip near the new Cosmopolitan hotel. They were so nice. It was like watching a movie. They even warned the man to stay out of the sun and gave him water. The only thing was, well, they were being filmed for Cops (or something like it). Las Vegas is a show. It’s all for show.

The jury did not waste much time. It took a day to sort out the charges, which were pretty intense.

Burning, pastor of Johnsfield Baptist Church, was found guilty on three counts of sexual assault, four charges of indecent assault, sexual intercourse with someone under the age of 14, forcible confinement, indecent assault, voyeurism, criminal harassment, indecent assault and gross indecency. These charges, some committed on men and some on women, related to incidents that took place between 1971 and 2009.

There is another story here. Burning was a missionary for the Old Time Baptist church (OTBC) for 12 years. That’s ample time to perpetuate his form of Christianity. There is also his link to OTBC’s school administrator Pastor Robert Piwowar, who murdered his wife and hid her body. I’m thinking OTBC might not be a happy place.

OTBC is silent. Nothing on the blog. No press releases. It’s as if they want to bury their association with Burning. I listened to a few sermons there is nothing there either. There are questions to answer.

Why did they stand by Burning? Did they know of the abuse allegations? Did they report allegations? Were there allegations from Burning’s missionary work? What about their duty of car as mandatory reporters?  The questions are endless, but so is the silence.

You see all types in Las Vegas. It really is an interesting place to watch people. For every homeless person sleeping in the shadows, there is a bachelorette party staggering back to hotels, or it could be a tourist from Maine shopping for trinkets. I could shoot all day.

We were delayed on the the road out of Las Vegas to Los Angeles at Halloran Summit east of Baker on Sunday. There was a horrible accident. Two children Sonya De Anda Martinez, 15, and Jesus De Anda Martinez, 6, died at the scene. A LifeFlight helicopter flew in to take the surviving victims to the hospital.

I was stuck for 45 minutes. I shot a few pictures so that I could remember the event. I don’t know why I document my life like this. It’s a bit of a compulsion. Five years from now I want to be able to remember this trip. This is one piece of the story.

The haze at the end of the road is the town of Baker, Ca. The accident was just over the horizon.

My mind does not let things go. I had to find out what happened. Now I’m sorry I did. My grandmother died the same way back in the 60s. A rollover on the road to Las Vegas. What a horrible way to die.

I’ve thought about this a great deal in my own terms. I was an active and focused Christian back in my teens. Once I rejected belief, I walked away from all of my Christian friends. I had no other choice. They no longer wanted to talk to me. The discomfort was painful. I think about it all the time, even 30 years later. I’m sure Teresa MacBain is feeling it much deeper. She has more to lose.

Teresa did something very different than I did. She turned her back on her church and did so in a very public. Maybe she did it for drama or for the shock value, the story does not go into her motives for coming out the way she did. The atheist conference sure treated her like a rock star. I understand that. It takes guts to throw your career away. Her church would have viewed her public admission as a direct attack. They circled the wagons and shunned her. What did she expect? Christians do this by rote. It’s a community survival strategy.

I don’t think it would have played out much better is she had come out to her church. Except for that she would likely have been goose-stepped off the property. Churches are not inclusive when it comes to those who reject core beliefs.

It may have been a slow burn since the mid 1800s, but since televised football started in the late 1960s and more recently live football matches became available via satellite, football is on the up, and religion is well and truly in the relegation zone.

This blog aims to help explain why football will eventually replace religion, while pointing out the main similarities and differences between them.

Strangely, until recently I thought little about religion, but much about football. However, after 'having' to study the Philosophy of Religion as part of a larger course, I was forced to consider 'the argument for god'. I am now consumed with the complete ridiculousness of organised religion, especially the 3 main Abrahamic religions, and I am astounded by the complete lack of critical thinking or questioning that accompanies religious belief.

If people are happy in this delusion, so be it, but they wish to use religion to influence laws and governmental decisions that effect me and my life. That is just plain stupid.

I would not say that I was a 100% ATHEIST, but what I am is 100% convinced that there is absolutely NO truth in Christianity, Islam or Judaism.

There is no benign, all powerful being watching our every move and intervening - if there was he would have an awful lot of explaining to do !!!

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"We had some meetings for bible study" in Vanderwoude's apartment, said Javier Maldonado, 38, a neighbor of the pair, who said he attended several Bible study groups at the apartment in recent months.

Maldonado said he was shocked to hear the news about Vanderwoude, adding, "He's a pretty quiet guy, a kind guy."

Read more: Accused 'Well Dressed' Groper Hosted Bible Studies, Neighbors Say

On March 30, he allegedly grabbed a 22-year-old woman inside the subway station at Centre and Chambers streets, touching her buttocks and forcing her to stick her hand between her legs underneath her skirt while apparently recording with his cell phone, the complaint said. The woman then felt the man's hand near her groin while he had his cell phone underneath her skirt.

summer grasses---
all that remains
of warriors’ dreams

Matsou Basho (1644 -1694)

While in Kyoto Japan in 1986, I took a tour of the stunningly beautiful Kiyomizu-dera temple. I mentioned that the view from the deck was visual poetry to a elderly Japanese man standing near me. He recited this poem, and two others in response.

At last the secret is out,
as it always must come in the end,
the delicius story is ripe to tell
to tell to the intimate friend;
over the tea-cups and into the square
the tongues has its desire;
still waters run deep, my dear,
there's never smoke without fire.

Behind the corpse in the reservoir,
behind the ghost on the links,
behind the lady who dances
and the man who madly drinks,
under the look of fatigue
the attack of migraine and the sigh
there is always another story,
there is more than meets the eye.

For the clear voice suddently singing,
high up in the convent wall,
the scent of the elder bushes,
the sporting prints in the hall,
the croquet matches in summer,
the handshake, the cough, the kiss,
there is always a wicked secret,
a private reason for this.

W.H. Auden (1907 – 1973)

Let those who are in favour with their stars
Of public honour and proud titles boast,
Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars,
Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.
Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread
But as the marigold at the sun's eye,
And in themselves their pride lies buried,
For at a frown they in their glory die.
The painful warrior famoused for fight,
After a thousand victories once foil'd,
Is from the book of honour razed quite,
And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd:
Then happy I, that love and am beloved
Where I may not remove nor be remove

William Shakespeare

This is where I came from.
I passed this way.
This should not be shameful
Or hard to say.

A self is a self.
It is not a screen.
A person should respect
What he has been.

This is my past
Which I shall not discard.
This is the ideal.
This is hard.

James Fenton

My entire verve–
is a dark verse.
It will take you–
to the unending dawn–
of blooms, flight and light.

In this verse,
I heaved you a sigh, sigh.

In this verse,
I tied you to the trees,
Water and flames.

Life perhaps,
is that long, shady road,
where every day, a woman wanders–
with her basket of fruits.

Life perhaps, is that rope;
the one that a man would hang himself with–
in a gray, rainy day,–
from a thick branch.

Life perhaps,
is that child who is running back home.

Life perhaps,
is those brief smokes,
in the lazy, idle times–
stolen from two making-loves.

Life perhaps,
is that still instant,
when my eyes sink–
in the reflection of your sight.

Life perhaps,
is its sheltering sense;
I will merge it- with the flood of moonlight–
and the frozen abode of night.

In my little,
lonely room,
my heart is invaded–
by the silent crowd of love.

I am keeping track of my life:
The beautiful decay of a rose, in this antique vase;
the growing plant that you brought;
and those birds in their timber cage.
They are singing every hour,
up to the full depth–
of the view.

Oh…
This is my share.
This is my share.

My share,
is a piece of sky–
and a little shade–
can take it away.

My share,
is a gradual descent–
from some deserted stairs.
It is a sudden landing–
in some forsaken,
exiling place.

My share,
is a gloomy march–
in the distant garden of my past.

My share,
is a slow death–
for the advent of a voice.
The voice–
who once said:
“I love your hands”.

I will plant my hands.
I will grow, I know, I know,
I know.

And a lost bird-
will lay lots of eggs–
in my inky palms.

I will pick a pair of twin cherries,
and I will hang them on my ears.
I will take two white oleanders,
And I will put them charily–
on my fingertips.

There is a road,
full of young, vulgar boys.
I used to be their sole muse.
They are still hanging–
with their untidy hair,
with the same thin legs,
about the same square.

And,
they are still thinking–
of that little girl, with a shy beam;
the girl that one day–
faded in the breeze.

There is a congested road that my heart,
kept it from my childhood neighborhood.

The journey of a mass in the row of Time;
And loading this arid line,
with the weight of its shape;
a polished, smooth, even shape–
coming from a place, just after the village–
of the mirrors.

And it is so–
that some will remain–
and others die.

Did you ever meet a fisher who caught a pearl–
in the yellow, inert, close-by river?

I know a sad, little fairy.
She is living in a remote ocean.
And she is playing her heart–
into a wooden flute.

A sad little fairy–
who dies every dusk.
She is reborn the day after–
right at the dawn,
from a slight kiss.

Forough Farrokhzad (1935 – 1967)
Translation: Maryam Dilmaghani

Read more here.

This poem was written as a tribute to the late Bradley Nowell of Sublime and was read at his memorial service. It was later set to music by the remaining members of Sublime and If All Else Fails.

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet
Make you want to move your dancing feet
To the rescue, here i am
Want you to know, y’all, where i stand

(monday morning) here i am
Want you to know just if you can
(tuesday evening) where i stand
(wenesday morning)
Tell myself a new day is rising
(thursday evening) get on the rise
A new day is dawning
(friday morning) here i am
(saturday evening) want you to know just
Want you to know just where i stand

When the morning gathers the rainbow
Want you to know i’m a rainbow too
So, to the rescue here i am
Want you to know just if you can
Where i stand, know, know, know, know, know

We’ll lift our heads and give jah praises
We’ll lift our heads and give jah praises, yeah

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet
Make you want to move your dancing feet
To the rescue, here i am
Want you to know just if you can
Where i stand

(wenesday morning)
Tell myself a new day is rising
(thursday evening) get on the rise
A new day is dawning
(friday morning) here i am
(saturday evening) want you to know just
Want you to know just where i stand

When the morning gathers the rainbow
Want you to know i’m a rainbow too
So to the rescue, here i am
Want you to know just if you can
Where i stand, know, know, know, know, know

We’ll lift our heads and give jah praises (repeat)
Sun is shining, the weather is sweet
Make you want to move your dancing feet
To the rescue, here i am
Want you to know just if you can
Where i stand, no, no, no, no, where i stand
Sun is shining, sun is shining

Bob Marley (1945 - 1981)

I.
There was a naughty boy,
A naughty boy was he,
He would not stop at home,
He could not quiet be-
He took
In his knapsack
A book
Full of vowels
And a shirt
With some towels,
A slight cap
For night cap,
A hair brush,
Comb ditto,
New stockings
For old ones
Would split O!
This knapsack
Tight at's back
He rivetted close
And followed his nose
To the north,
To the north,
And follow'd his nose
To the north.

II.
There was a naughty boy
And a naughty boy was he,
For nothing would he do
But scribble poetry-
He took
An ink stand
In his hand
And a pen
Big as ten
In the other,
And away
In a pother
He ran
To the mountains
And fountains
And ghostes
And postes
And witches
And ditches
And wrote
In his coat
When the weather
Was cool,
Fear of gout,
And without
When the weather
Was warm-
Och the charm
When we choose
To follow one's nose
To the north,
To the north,
To follow one's nose
To the north!

III.
There was a naughty boy
And a naughty boy was he,
He kept little fishes
In washing tubs three
In spite
Of the might
Of the maid
Nor afraid
Of his Granny-good-
He often would
Hurly burly
Get up early
And go
By hook or crook
To the brook
And bring home
Miller's thumb,
Tittlebat
Not over fat,
Minnows small
As the stall
Of a glove,
Not above
The size
Of a nice
Little baby's
Little fingers-
O he made
'Twas his trade
Of fish a pretty kettle
A kettle-
A kettle
Of fish a pretty kettle
A kettle!

IV.
There was a naughty boy,
And a naughty boy was he,
He ran away to Scotland
The people for to see-
There he found
That the ground
Was as hard,
That a yard
Was as long,
That a song
Was as merry,
That a cherry
Was as red,
That lead
Was as weighty,
That fourscore
Was as eighty,
That a door
Was as wooden
As in England-
So he stood in his shoes
And he wonder'd,
He wonder'd,
He stood in his
Shoes and he wonder'd.

John Keats (1795 1821)

the vast night---
now nothing left
but the fragrance

Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)

As you can tell by the name of my blog, Deity Shmeity, I don’t take God very seriously. I started blogging about religion a month ago in an effort to convince others to not take God seriously either. My motto, why be insulting when you can be dismissive?

My other motto, the official one, is “one day we’ll all be atheists, I’m just an early adopter.” I know that theism is on the decline and with a little rebranding, we can leave atheism’s baggage at the door and reclaim it’s most basic meaning--people who don’t believe in magic.

Are you interested in becoming a member? Visit the Atheist Blogroll for more information. or visit the the full Atheist Blogroll membership list.

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the spring in my hut
there is nothing
there is everything

Sodo Yamaguchi (1643-1716)

1. A few of my coworkers will get a poem tomorrow. I hope it makes them smile a little.

2. I will publish a poem on my blog every hour from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

The Challenge: I challenge other bloggers to participate Poem In Your Pocket Day by posting at least one poem on their blogs.

It’s easy. Choose a poem you like, your favorite poem, or one you wrote. Make a post with the poem and link to Poets.org’s National Poetry Month. Send me a link if you can, or link to me from within your post. I promise to read every poem.

I told a lady at work today that I’ve read a poem a day for almost 35 years. She was stunned. When she asked why, I told her that poetry helps me connect to an inner peace that is a lot like how I feel when visiting a favorite secluded spot in nature, like in Joshua Tree, where I can calm my mind and relax by simply sitting on a rock. I consider it a form of meditation. The same goes for poetry.

Poem in Your Pocket Day is cool.

To start things off I will share this Haiku poem by my snarky friend David.

Haikus don’t make sense
They are always so random
Refrigerator

- David F. 4/25/2012

McCabe’s crime did not involve molesting children. He was into child porn. It was found on his church PC.

McCabe was a youth director at the Raleigh Chinese Christian Church. I hope the church keeps an eye on him. He’s likely to be “Restored” at some point.

I have recently heard many Atheists declare that the bible is full of terrible things. Although they usually seem credible, I have not read very much of the bible myself and it doesn't seem right to agree with them based on little evidence. I also notice that Christians are always talking about how much great stuff is in the bible. It seems to me that both sides are just seeing what they want to see. So what is the truth? Are the atheists right and the bible is mostly full of horrible things that seemed reasonable centuries ago? Are Christians right that the bible is mostly full of good things that we can use as a model to live our lives by? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the middle?

I aim to find this out for myself. Each day I read a little bit of the bible, write a summary of what happened and then add my commentary on it. Also, at the end of each book I write an extremely brief summary of the good and bad within. In an effort to avoid the whole "that is just old testament" argument I started at Matthew, but assuming I enjoy doing this for long enough I don't see a reason why I couldn't eventually cycle back to Genesis (and if this keeps being fun for a really long time I might do the book of Mormon, but at my current pace that is years away)

Since I started I have also expanded a bit. I am currently doing a book club with a CS Lewis book where I read a chapter a week and deconstruct it in a similar manner to my bible reading. I also have been writing about random topics that interest me on the weekend.

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Godless - an atheist or heathen.

Poutine - a delicious Canadian dish of French fries and fresh cheese curds, covered with brown gravy or sauce.

I'm an ex-Catholic atheist anglophone living in Montreal Canada. Once a Catholic, then a Wiccan, then a pantheist, now an atheist, I write about my transition away from religion, atheism, secular humanism and philosophy. I cover the news of the day, popular culture, movies and books from a Canadian atheist point of view.

The capital murder charge stems from the March 22, 2011 death of Allen’s former wife Paula in a house fire.

Allen was indicted in February, accused of setting the fire deliberately, using a flammable accelerant.

Paula Allen, 54, was found dead just inside the front door of a mobile home behind the New Life Church of Restoration just east of Gatesville.

I don’t think it helped his case that he was seeing a younger woman from church while he was still married to his wife. And then there is the rumored pregnancy.

But in a trial starting today in Nelson Circuit Court, a jury will be asked to decide a more vexing question: Should the Big Springs Assembly of God church, Coulter’s former employer, be responsible for his misconduct and for Jamie’s death?

The church counters with a few facts…

• Coulter was on his day off
• It was not an official church camp out
• It was not on church property

They don’t address that fact that the relationship was custodial. That the church knew about Coulter’s irresponsible behavior. That all children attending the camp were from the church. And, that coulter did youth minister stuff. He was an agent of the church… It’s pretty easy to see.

Now… pay the settlement. Sell the church. Move to the next town and start over. Go ahead, that what happens when you kill a child. You pay your dues. You make it right with the parents. It seems like the Christian thing to do. Right?

In this Tuesday, March 27, 2012 photo, Monsignor William Lynn leaves the Criminal Justice Center, in Philadelphia. According to testimony Thursday, April 19, 2012 in a clergy-abuse trial, a heinous 1992 priest-abuse complaint "fell through the cracks" at the Philadelphia archdiocese, leaving the accused pastor to continue leading a suburban parish for three more years. Lynn, the longtime secretary for clergy at the Roman Catholic archdiocese, is charged with child endangerment and conspiracy in his handling of the 1992 complaint and other sex-abuse allegations about priests.

Read more here: Pa. priest trial painful, poignant for Catholics

The truth shall set you free.

Tony Comes, a firefighter from Toledo, Ohio, who was first sexually abused by a Catholic priest when he was a fourteen-year-old student at a Catholic high school.

Feeling ashamed, Comes kept his secret for nearly 20 years but was forced to confront his past after discovering that the priest, Dennis Gray, was living on the same street as Comes, his wife, and their two young children.

Comes decided to go public and bring a lawsuit against the priest and Church leaders who had neglected to take action after reading a series of investigative stories in The Toledo Blade revealing sweeping patterns of abuse and cover up in the diocese—including interviews with other Gray victims.

Why did you go into the seminary? <chills>

We’ve had a new blog join the Atheist Blogroll: Atheism is Religion

Hey! My name is Gareth Mensah,

I'm an ordained atheist minister who wrote a scripture for non-believers called Ordo Abchao, in which atheists, agnostics, gnostics, and part-time believers will find one bad-ass, epic immersion into the life of a member of the Atheism Is Religion (AIR) movement trying to survive one hell of an apocalyptic future where winged-creatures have invaded Earth, but mysteriously disappear at night.

I've created www.atheismisreligion.org where I post ten daily tips and wisdoms on how to become a better atheist. Theres' an assumption that exist within the non-believer community that atheism and anti-theism are one and the same, or broadly that a disbelief in god(s) necessarily goes with anti-religious feelings. As an ordained atheist minister, I try to dispel this misconception, and I also have a wiki about the AIR (Atheism Is Religion) movement called www.ordoabwiki.org where I explain the project of Ordo Abchao and the AIR movement. I also have another blog called o2a2.org where I aggregate all atheist-inspired graphics, quotes or videos.

So come check out my blogs for more information.  There are many voices in the non-believer community, I'm trying to voice mine and that of those with similar views that religion and atheism are not contradictory, but might actually be the future of the movement.

Are you interested in becoming a member? Visit the Atheist Blogroll for more information. or visit the the full Atheist Blogroll membership list.

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John Holland Brothers Jr., 43, was booked into Routt County Jail on Tuesday night after being arrested in Louisiana last week. He was booked on 27 felony charges. Among them: eight counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, four counts of sexual assault on a child, seven counts of sexual assault and eight counts of first-degree burglary.

In a recent article at The Christian Post called Modern Youth Ministry a ‘50-Year Failed Experiment’ Say Pastors, we hear pastors busy rethinking the whole youth ministry concept. They try to link a wholesale exodus from Christianity to youth ministry. Of course, we know it is that reason is winning the battle for the hearts and minds of our youth. My theory is that today’s youth can feel that the message is inauthentic. Once you realize you’ve been mislead, the game is over. Your mind starts looking for the truth, and you find it in science, or secularism. Goodbye superstition…

To these pastors the concept is unbiblical. Worse, they think what they did was divisive (no kidding). 

"I look back and realize I did more harm to families than I ever imagined," Dellinger says in the film. "I see that more as I look back because I was usurping the authority of parents, especially fathers by having their children's hearts turn towards me – with their permission."

"Today, I can make more of a difference in the lives of young people through the biblical standards of fathers turning their hearts towards their children," he adds.

Good luck with turning back the clock… It never works.

The minister promised a gunman $3,000 in exchange for shooting his wife. The shooter, Daniel Lopez, told the court at his plea hearing that he hid in the back of her van late in March last year, forced her off the road on Robles Road near Rio Hondo and shot her.

Lopez was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Source: Minister gets 45 years for arranging wife's murder by Madeline Buckley

Who kills someone for $3,000? I have trouble understanding this kind of crime. How does a man of God turn on their wife with murderous intent? How does murder, greed, and conspiracy factor into the life of a pastor? What gospel was he studying? Is this what Pentecostals preach?

"The activity you engaged in that you were found guilty of by a jury of your peers is heinous," Callahan said to Jackson before handing down the sentence. "It's unspeakable."
Between 2009 and 2010, Jackson was accused of sexually assaulting the victim at Abundant Life Church on Livernois in southwest Detroit. There was a fire at the church in August 2010 after the allegations surfaced.
From The Detroit News: Pastor gets at least 40 years for raping girl

I decided it is time to join the blogosphere.  I stated many times that I would not conform to this modern form of ego-stroking.  Who would possibly care about the thoughts rattling around in my head?  Why did I do it?  The simplest answer is out of frustration.  I am tired of reading the paper and putting it down in disgust.  I am tired of watching the news and changing the channel in dismay.  I am tired of overhearing so many tidbits of conversation (on a daily basis) that leave me walking away and shaking my head.  What could one person do against the tide of ignorance and insanity?  My answer was to write.  To write with the hope that perhaps others will find what I have to say encouraging, interesting, or better yet thought provoking.  Most of my posts will be related to articles that I read daily.

Where has the ability to reason gone?  It seems that many people no longer think for themselves.  They accept the canned answers provided to them by the political and religious forces that bombard us constantly.  In the U.S. both parties and all religions are guilty of this.   It has become too rare that we stop to question what we hear.  It is too common that we accept as fact, that what has no proof—be it political or religious.

I consider myself a secular humanist.  I do not believe that a God exists.  I do not believe that morality, in any way, has its roots in religion.  I embrace reason, ethics and science and reject dogma, superstition, and pseudoscience.   I believe that the human mind is a wonderfully complex organ.  Furthermore, that it is capable of discovering much about our universe, creation, our own bodies—many scientists and other modern thinkers are working on these ancient questions as I write these words.  I believe in proof and fact, not faith.

I am always open to discussion and welcome debate.  It is often through debate that we learn the most.

I created this blog as a place for rational discussion on germane Secular Humanist and atheist topics in today’s world

Oh yeah—the question, “Why Reason Being?”—I find wordplay to be quite entertaining.

Are you interested in becoming a member? Visit the Atheist Blogroll for more information. or visit the the full Atheist Blogroll membership list.

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Here in the United States, those who self-identify as religious tend to be exactly the opposite of their British counterparts when it comes to politics. As the Pew Research Center recently discovered, “Most people who agree with the religious right also support the Tea Party” and its ultra-conservative economic agenda. Summing up the situation, scholar Gregory Paul wrote in the Washington Post that many religious Christians in America simply ignore the Word and “proudly proclaim that the creator of the universe favors free wheeling, deregulated union busting, minimal taxes, especially for wealthy investors, and plutocrat-boosting capitalism as the ideal earthly scheme for his human creations.”

The key phrase from the article, “…religion has become more of a superficial brand…” sums up my feelings. What I see in the conservative moment, in the evangelical right wing of Republican party, and in the Tea Party, is superficiality. They wrap themselves in the cloak of a religion, without understanding is actual message. It’s like a disease.

I have a Christian friend who is spending his Sunday teaching the poor how to navigate the various governmental, religious, and secular institutions that provide health services so that they can stay well enough to work and provide for their families. I think he’s on the right track.

Deep Thoughts here… What is happiness? I know when I’m happy. I know what makes me happy too. Time with my family is at the top of list, which is followed by closely by time by myself. I was sitting on a bench at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad taking in the view (pictured above) when I noticed that the while alone, I was surrounded by hundreds of happy people walking the fields. There were dozens of multigenerational families, young couples, kids, mothers pushing babies, and lots and gay families. All were happy. It was infectious. You could feel the happiness. It radiated from everyone. But why? We were in a pay to view flower field on a sunny day on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There was nothing to do but walk up and down a hillside and look at flowers, yet everyone was joyously happy. I was hugged by complete strangers. An old woman took my arm as I stood looking down over a beautiful field of orange flowers. She did not say a word. She simple smiled and squeezed my arm. Is this happiness? I hope so, because I was soaking it in like a sponge.

I was alone and happy. It was not the flowers that did it for me. I’m color blind and simply do not get the nuances that people go on and on about. I was content to be around happy people, yet I liked being by myself just as much. Weird, right?

I saw a few other people tripping like me. Take Mr. Baldy… he was doing the same thing as me. We made eye contact briefly. His smile was infectious. He was so happy it was like watching beams of light emit from his face. Did flowers do this for him? Sunshine? People?

I was there to shoot photos while my wife and her cousins did inscrutable wife and cousin things with the kids. We separated after walking in the front gate. I put my earbuds in, turned on some reggae, and started looking for shots. three hours went by in a blur. The flowers were pretty, but they bored me. The people, especially the photographers, fascinated me. I shot more people than flowers, but that is always the case.

I don’t know what happiness is, but I know it when I feel it. The thing is, I’m happy most of of the time; flowers or not. I’ve been that way my whole life.

What is happiness for you?

Officials at a Houston private school said they are investigating how a teacher arranged for a group of fourth-graders to correspond with a man who had been charged with child sexual molestation.

Laura Perry was working as a 4th grade teacher at Trinity Lutheran Church and School when she had her students send letters to Rowlett as a class project. Perry believed Rowlett had been wrongly accused. This is personal. She knew the man. The safety of her students and her moral compass be damned. She was on a personal mission, but was it also sanctioned by her church?

It gets better… Perry’s husband stands charged with possessing and promoting child pornography. He too had access to the students. Her friend is a convicted pedophile and her husband might be a child pornographer, and she is what… horribly irresponsible?

Perry, the school and church, and pastor Michael Dorn are all named in a lawsuit brought by the students' families. In my opinion, the best way to handle cases of misconduct like this are to sue the church out of existence.

In case you are feeling forgiving…

A 2005 grand jury described harrowing accounts of child sexual abuse lodged against 63 Philadelphia priests since 1948, but none were charged because legal time limits had expired. Lynn was charged last year based on more recent complaints involving three priests and a teacher. The jury is also hearing many of the earlier complaints because Lynn worked on or knew about them.

Lynn’s mistakes were not innocent omissions. He protected priests that were abusing children. He did not give a damn for the victims. Go religion!

I took my wife and mother-in-law to Carlsbad for a walk in The flower fields today. My wife conned me into going because to Cannon was there giving free macro clinics. The clinics were aimed at new users, so I did not get much from them. With 250 photographers loose in the flower fields, I was more inclined to shoot the photographers. I played with HDR and produced this photo, which I like because it reminds me of a painting. I’ve got a lot of photos to work on in post-possessing. I hope that I will yield a macro shot that is good enough for their photo contest.

I was researching the arrest of pastor Jeffery London when I came across this odd grouping of images on Facebook. Nothing say more about you than the friends you keep.

Let’s run 48-year-old Jeffery London down. Can you see the problem?

• Counselor at the Boys and Girls Club in Fort Lauderdale
• Dean of students at Eagle charter Academy
• Youth Pastor at Fort Lauderdale’s Bible Church of God
• Took in troubled youths at his home

But wait for it… Parents gave their kids to London for same keeping. People are so naively trusting. Here you have a single man who’s life revolves around children, and he has little oversight, and parents give him kids. When is this ever a good idea?

Testimony was presented during the trial by the 22-year-old victim, who had gone to the police nearly two years ago. She told officers that Hopkins had repeatedly touched her inappropriately during encounters when she was between the ages of 13 and 16.

A recording was played for the jury of an interview with Hopkins by police and officials for the Department of Human Services. In it, Hopkins states: “I saw her as a precious thing. It sounds corny, but I wanted to honor her, to show her adoration, that I was pleased with her. I leaned forward and I kissed her, telling her how beautiful she was, how precious she was.”

Source: Pawhuska preacher convicted of molesting girl

Sick right? He faces 20 years in prison.

Hopkins was a blogger. He also founded Grace Community Church, which was not a church as much as it was a place for Hopkins to shop for victims of his “precious attention”.

Greta Christina inspires me. Her post, If Everyone Does One Thing…, resonated with me. Of course, as an atheist blogger, I do way more than one thing already, but I can do more. I can say thanks and tip with “God” stricken from “In God we Trust” on all currancy. It an easy thing to do. It’s something I can do. It’s something I did on Easter in a hotel room in Alameda just yesterday. Five one-dollar bills all with a small edit for the cause.

Do one thing. Just one you are not already doing.

Assistant District Attorney Shelly Rusch, who prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Greg Venker, said she was surprised that the jury deliberated for such a short time. She said she did not know what resonated most with the jury, though she speculated that the ages of the children involved in the case might have weighed on them.

The charges alleged that two of the children involved were just 2 months old when discipline was advocated by Caminiti. The oldest child was 5 when the practice was stopped after police intervened in November 2010.

Read more: Black Earth pastor found guilty in child abuse case

You are not a Christian based on based on what you say. The magic prayer of salvation does not end your journey. To be a Christian you must actually practice the principles that Jesus supposed taught. I don’t recall Jesus telling his followers to beat their children. Do you?

The Wall Street Journal reports that Indonesia’s House of Representatives speaker, Marzuki Alie, also recently made inflammatory comments around women's apparel, suggesting that women who wear miniskirts could encourage men to rape them.

To fight this imaginary rape scenario, Indonesia's Religious Affairs Minister, Suryadharma Ali wants to classify miniskirts as a porn crime. 

'Pornography is something that we can feel … but we have to make the criteria,'' Suryadharma Ali said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

I have a message for you Suryadharma Ali. Rape is caused by men who will rape a woman wearing a burka if they have the opportunity. Women are the victims. Limiting what women wear will not decrease the incidence of rape. Rational people understand this, and we understand that you are going after miniskirts because it offends your religious sensibilities. This must not be allowed to stand. Miniskirt women of Indonesia, I implore you to rise up and throw Ali and anyone who supports him out of office. The future of my secret buck list is at stake.

A 14-year old Dauphin County girl said she thought she was going to die Wednesday night when two men with apparent guns raided a church meeting. She later found out that it was a learning exercise carried out by the church youth group.

The mother of the young girl did not want to reveal their names. The teenager does not belong to the Glad Tidings Assembly of God church in Lower Swatara Township, but she decided to go to a youth meeting Wednesday night with a friend who told her the meetings were fun.

The pastor and youth pastor are incredulous. They can’t believe that anybody might be upset by their antics. After all, they’ve done it before with no complaints. That should make kidnapping children ok, right?

The youth pastor all but called the 14-year-old victim a liar.

"In fact, I'm pretty sure she was laughing at some point and having fun with the other students," youth pastor Andrew Jordan said. "I can't confirm that, but that's what I've heard from friends of hers that were there."

Nice going youth pastor Jordon. Did they teach you to act like that in youth pastor school? Was that in the correspondence course? I like how your words show your compassion and Christ-like nature. I can feel the love.

Let’s talk about what could have happened. Disaster scenarios easy to come up with after just a few minutes of thinking this though. A testosterone loaded teen decides to put up a right. He Jumps from a moving van, crashing the van, or acts out in a way that injures himself and other innocent participants. He gets to carry the guilt around for the rest of his life as a bonus. Guns were involved. All it takes is a uniformed 3rd party with a loaded gun and people will die. Let’s not forget the mental pressure these teens were placed under. Stress, terror, fearing for ones life, these factors can cause lasting mental trauma. Sure, you can laugh it off because you are in the know, but some kids are fragile.It only takes a little push. In the real world, only a reckless fool would propose this type of event. The risks are simply too high.

Let’s look at this from another angle. Church is a business. It has assets that require protection in order to sustain itself. A well-run business does not risk it capital on questionable behavior. Churches will take action to reduce risk wherever they can. I doubt the leaders of this church thought that through. This case will lead to a civil suit, and criminal charges are a real possibility too. This could cost the church a lot of money. This could actually close the church. Yet misguided church leadership wants to push ahead with more kidnapping events. I must ask, how is this in any way connected to the teachings of Jesus? Is it reasonable to risk the wellbeing of a church and its mission on a questionable stunt? Pastor John Lanza and youth pastor Andrew Jordan, you are nutballs and should not be allowed near a church.

Members of the Glad Tidings Assembly of God: If you feel like you are being persecuted for your actions. If you feel like outsiders are trying to run your church and tell you what to do. If you feel like the world has turned against you. It’s because your leadership acted like children. Step up to your responsibilities. You owe this girl an apology. You owe all of the children involved an apology. You owe their families an apology too. You also own your community an apology. I’m not just talking about the town you live in either. You need to tell other churches that you screwed up and were focused on the wrong things. You cannot justify teaching teens about imaginary Christian persecution scenarios when the homeless go hungry in your own county. You know the story right? Your lord commands that you feed the homeless, clothe the poor… the good work that Christians can do. It’s why some of us appreciate you. Terrifying children is not on the list.  Jesus tells you to, “Live such a godly life that people, seeing you do good deeds, will have respect for your Father which is in heaven.” He also commands this jewel… “When persecutions come simply because you have done what is right in God's sight, rejoice and be extremely happy, for you have a great reward in heaven.” Why are you teaching kids to fear persecution again?

Nice touch taking your website down by the way. You probably need the cash to pay your legal bills. I understand.

.

Jackson’s church was particularly vocal in his defense. They tended to attack the victim. I mean… she obviously was the one who caused the problem. That’s what evil girls do. Right? People are such jerks.

Believer offered this:

This attacks are a lie!!! Someone needs to look at this girl and her families history of lying!!! The truth will come out and all will see that Mr. Jackson IS a man of God!! This is a disturbed family and the truth will set you FREE!! We all love you Pastor Jackson and God is on your side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loyalcitizen offered this tripe:

As stated the truth will be revealed this girl suffers from a mental illness was actually molested by her stepfather but of course how often have we seen victims blame others to cover the abuse in the home as an outcry. for those who know this family knows wat type of people they r n wat they have done in their own past. which is y this is unbelievable . Not to say this girl isn't a victim nor tht no man is capable of sin although for those who know the truth knows much more was exposed over the years tht this girl her mother and numerous other family members have done .. Shes a product of her environment!

Source: Pastor Timothy Jackson charged

You can tell a lot about a person when the chips are down. Pressure can open up big festering puss filled sores that show the real you. Jackson failed the test. He raped a little girl. But his followers. They are poor examples of what a Christian is supposed to be. How sad is that?

"Dinosaurs" evoking unpleasant emotions? The New York Post speculated that the "dinosaurs" could "call to mind evolution, which might upset fundamentalists.”

Source: New York city schools want to ban 'loaded words' from tests

Oddly enough, they left “idiot” off the list. Missed fundies too. Go figure.