A new movie is being released this December called The Golden Compass. It is based on the first novel in a fantasy trilogy by Phillip Pullman. The trailer makes it looks a lot like Narnia, so it’s probably not a movie I’ll go out of my way to see.

Nonetheless, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League (a far-right lobby unaffiliated with the Vatican) has called for a boycott of the film due to an anti-religious sentiment in the final two books of the trilogy.

The Catholic League wants Christians to stay away from this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books.

Though the movie promises to be fairly non-controversial, it may very well act as an inducement to buy Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials. And remember, his twin goals are to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity. To kids.

And we’re the angry militants? Now there’s nothing wrong with them wanting people to avoid the movie, but I think the hypocrisy here needs to be pointed out.

Catholics baptize their children - they promise to teach faith as a virtue from the cradle. Indoctrination should be no radical concept, but that’s not what this is about.

Donohue is afraid. He is terrified that kids will get their hands on these books and read something challenging what they’ve been told to just accept. So instead of confronting these fictional attacks on their dogma, Christians are being encouraged to close their eyes, cover their ears and scream frantically in the intellectual gymnastic act known as faith.

Today, a federal judge ordered the superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education not to enforce the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act, a bill passed last October requiring schools to observe a daily moment of silence.

I’ve been ironically silent about this issue on my blog, but I’ve been following the case since it’s inception last month. Being somewhat of a legal geek, I’ve even managed to read through the litigation papers.

Local activist Rob Sherman, of whom I have conversed, challenged the bill on the grounds that it interferes with his daughter’s right to an education, failing to provide a purely secular purpose. Unfortunately, the local media seems to be trying to convince us Mr. Sherman’s first name is “outspoken atheist,” which by judging public opinion appears to be all the argument needed to turn a blind eye to the Constitutional conflicts, dismissing the case as just another godless librul out to take God outs of our schools.

The mandated moment of silence gives students two options: to sit quietly in their desks and pray, or as Rep. Monique Davis of Chicago suggests, “to listen to the rustling of leaves, to listen to the chirping of birds.” The former is a transparent endorsement of western religion, excluding eastern tradition and other theists who may need to get out of their desk to chant or bow in a specific direction. The latter, a frightening attempt at government sponsored thought control. (more…)

The existence of unnecessary suffering in the face of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God, the problem of evil, has remained a primary logical objection against Christianity for ages.

Although no philosophical argument can completely disprove God, it can prove our current definition logically impossible. The “evidential problem of evil” is rather simple:

1. Gratuitous evils exist.
2. Gratuitous evils are incompatible with the existence of a god (omnipotent, omniscient, all-good).
3. Therefore, no god exists.

The textbook apologetic dodge varies. Some Christians will adjust their definition to invent a not-completely omnipotent god. Others will blame Satan, creating a second god, and begging the question: why hasn’t God eliminated him? Others still see suffering as a means to spiritual strength, ignoring the fact noble, character shaping acts can be done in the absence of pain.

More, however, will assert God gives humans the choice to commit bad deeds, blaming the fall of Adam. Though this defense tries to explain evil committed by humans, but it does nothing to justify “acts of God” or natural phenomena that lead to unnecessary suffering. Even if natural events are placed into the same boat, we must address the unnecessary suffering they have caused millions of years before human even walked the earth.

Another interesting objection questions why a god who values free will would create humans, a species dependent on sleep, knowing we waste approximately a third of our life in bed, incapable of making choices.

Like the existence of suffering in general, the idea of sin leading to suffering is still inconsistent with an all-loving god.

After the most bigoted, ironic, one-sided, Faux News style panel on atheism, Paula Zahn revisits the issue by inviting an actual atheist to discuss atheism. Crazy idea, eh?

Richard Dawkins shows up for the first couple minutes, gives his timeless “I don’t believe in Thor, Zeus or Yahweh” rap, then we hear from Ellen Johnson of American Atheists. I’ve never cared for her, and I honestly still don’t. If you’re looking for a likable atheist, it’s certainly not her. She had a perfect opportunity to defend reason, secular ethics and explain to the country what exactly atheism is, yet she went down the tired “freedom from religion” road, making us seem like cold, evil monsters who want to eat your children. Rachel Maddow of Air America was also on the panel along with wingnut Jesse Lee Peterson. Thankfully, no one told me to “shut up” again, though the Reverend Peterson made a couple gigantic claims that I feel went unaddressed:

• Atheists are hypocrites wanting to impose their godless lifestyle on the masses, much like them damned gays; intolerant of Christians who want to prayer in schools, “under God” in Pledge
• Morality is impossible without an invisible sky daddy

The first is absolutely ludacris. Neutral is not atheism. Prayer is not banned in public schools; cohersed, mandatory prayer is, as it should be. Students can pray whenever the want, as long as it’s in a non-disruptive manner. A popular bumper sticker reads: “As long as there are algebra tests, there will be prayer in public schools.”

Maddow made a great comment, one I find myself writing whenever I argue Separationism. Jefferson’s “Wall of separation” is not anti-religious. The Founding Fathers respected religion, and knew the consequences of mixing it with government. By not favoring any particular belief system, the government truly supports freedom of conscience.

Believe it or not, morality is not exclusive to scripture. The fact that atheists aren’t flying planes into buildings, bombing abortion clinics and beheading people who worship a different man in the sky is further proof of this. Though atheism is simply the lack of belief in a god or gods, it tends to mingle with humanism, a philosophy centered around respect and compassion. I strive to be a “good person” out of respect for life, not to please a deity.

Kudos to CNN for listening to their reading their listener mail.

I still haven’t finished The God Delusion (I’ll post a review of some sort when I’m finished), but this little clip is a pretty good summary of Dawkins’ claims.

It’s from his unfortunately titled documentary, The Root of All Evil?, which is floating around Google Video.