Iowa Grandmother Speaks in Favor of Gay Marriage

A Sequence of Lines Traced by Five Hundred Individuals

One of the most common statements from those who deny Evolution is: "How could something so complex start from something so simple?" Part of the difficulty lies in the inability for most folks to fathom millions of mutations over millions of generations.

This below video does a great job of demonstrating how, over time, something simple can evolve into something unrecognizable. The premise is simple: One person draws a straight line. The next person is asked to trace the previous line. And so on -- like a game of Telephone. Although this model doesn't actually demonstrate how evolution works, it is remarkable in its ability to distill a simple evolutionary idea into something compelling and eye-opening.

A Sequence of Lines Traced by Five Hundred Individuals from clement valla on Vimeo.

Justin Bieber's Christian Entourage

Most of us have already heard about Justin Bieber's "swagger coach." One would think that his job is made more difficult by The Bieb's spiritual entourage, which includes a "travel pastor," a "Christian tutor," and a "Christian adviser." Bieber's mother, Pattie Mallette, has employed the team to surround her son as he encounters the temptations that come with success and a life on the road.

Charisma News Online reports that Mallette has also issued a prayer request for her son:

Mallette, who is asking fans to pray for Bieber’s well being as his popularity surges, employs a "travel pastor" when they're on tour as well as a Christian tutor to help develop Justin's scripture memory and knowledge of Christian history. She also employs a Christian advisor, who along with manager Scooter Braun, an observant Jew, provides "a great moral base and model for Justin."

"I'm aware of the dangers," Mallette says. "He's my son and I'm accountable by God and by the law to protect him, which includes covering him spiritually. Justin's faith is strong but he's young and hasn't come completely into himself yet. So what I can do is pray, teach and continue surrounding him with strong Christian influences."

Lady Gaga: More Christ-Like Than The Christian Right

Over at the Washington Post's 'On Faith' blog (via Busted Halo), an interesting question has been raised. Is Lady Gaga, who has been scorned by the conservative right for her flamboyancy and gay rights activism, actually more Christian than her detractors? Whether intentional or not, the article points out, Gaga explores Christian themes of suffering and of humankind's fallen nature in her latest release, Born This Way. Couple these themes with the song's (and Gaga's) reaching out to the marginalized and maligned, and it's not so hard to make analogies.

Regardless of her spirituality (or lack thereof, as the case may be), it does underscore the fact that so many Christians on the conservative right have lost sight of what Jesus was supposed to be all about. As strange as it may be to admit it, Lady Gaga is more Christlike in her actions than the Sarah Palins and the Rick Santorums of the conservative right.

Palin Offers Her Perspective on the Situation in Egypt

"And nobody yet has, no body yet has explained to the American public what they know, and surely they know more than the rest of us know who it is who will be taking the place of Mubarak, and I'm not real enthused about what it is that that's being done on a national level and from D.C. in regards to understanding all the situation there in Egypt." — on the Christian Broadcasting Network, Feb. 4, 2011

Extreme Makeover: Scientology Edition

This new TV commercial from the Church of Scientology makes you almost forget for a second just how entirely insane the Church of Scientology is.

Answers in Genesis: Ark Park Jobs Link Removed After Church-State Criticism

Answers in Genesis, the organization behind the Creation Museum and the forthcoming Ark Encounter has had a jobs page on their Website for some time.  And until just yesterday, the site had an "Ark Encounter Jobs" link as part of that page (cached page from Feb. 2) -- right above the statement: "All job applicants need to supply a written statement of their testimony, a statement of what they believe regarding creation and a statement that they have read and can support the AiG statement of faith."

The organization's required Statement of Faith would be a problem for Ark Encounter jobs, one would think, since the citizens of Kentucky will be subsidizing the project with their tax dollars.  The statement of faith clearly requires employees to adhere to a fundamentalist Christian faith and a literal interpretation of Biblical text -- a problem for any tax-paying Kentuckians of any other (or no) faith.

Some of the highlights from AiG's statement of faith:

• The 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God. The Bible is divinely inspired and inerrant throughout. Its assertions are factually true in all the original autographs. It is the supreme authority in everything it teaches. Its authority is not limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes but includes its assertions in such fields as history and science.
• The final guide to the interpretation of Scripture is Scripture itself.
• The account of origins presented in Genesis is a simple but factual presentation of actual events and therefore provides a reliable framework for scientific research into the question of the origin and history of life, mankind, the earth and the universe.
• The great Flood of Genesis was an actual historic event, worldwide (global) in its extent and effect.
• Those who do not believe in Christ are subject to everlasting conscious punishment, but believers enjoy eternal life with God.
• The only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. Any forms of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery, pornography, etc., are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex.

AiG spokesperson Ken Ham has frequently been a source of frustration (and comedy, to be sure) to biologist P.Z. Myers, a noted atheist and highly regarded ScienceBlogs staple (Myers's corner is the popular Pharyngula blog).  Ken Ham has also spent his fair share of time writing about Myers on his blog.  But on Wednesday, Myers brought the Ark Jobs conflict of interest to his readers' attention with a post, "Great Jobs In Kentucky!" The comments section of the page contains lengthy discussion of the constitutionality of such requirements in a place of business partly made possible by tax incentives.  And although, to be fair, the Ark Park Jobs link took users to a page which stated that there currently were no jobs listed, it is notable that the link vanished almost immediately after Myers' post.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, belief system is required to work at the Ark Encounter.  And rest assured that if there are faith requirements, AiG and the Ark Encounter will find themselves in another heated debate about the separation of church and state.  And if there are no faith requirements, then AiG will have found themselves in an unprecedented compromise, when non-compromise is at the core of what they do and who they are.