What Hell Looks Like

Based on the theatrical depiction presented below, Hell is a place that resembles a Vegas after-hours night club, where people dress like they're in a Pat Benatar video, and where God has no problem sending folks for having DSM-classified mental disorders.

The AFA's Bryan Fischer: Worst Person In The World

Bryan Fischer, Director of Issues Analysis at hate group American Family Association, has vomited up another vile tweet. Remember this one from a while back? 

We need to continue to call attention to his hateful rhetoric, and his close ties to GOP policymakers, until he is no longer welcome.  Sadly, that time doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

Fischer's tweet from today:

Symphony of Science: The Quantum World

Yet another stellar entry in the Symphony of Science canon. This latest entry is described as "a musical investigation into the nature of atoms and subatomic particles, the jiggly things that make up everything we see. Featuring Morgan Freeman, Frank Close, Michio Kaku, Brian Cox, Richard Feynman, and Stephen Hawking."

This is the eleventh video in the series. If you haven't spent any time with the others, you can view them all here.

What Are They Smoking At Herman Cain Campaign HQ?

When your guy is struggling in the polls, and it looks clearer every day that your candidate has a snowball's chance in hell, what's a campaign to do?

Well, if you're Herman Cain's campaign, you release a bizarre, nearly 4-minute, western-themed 'ad' about yellow flowers. If potential Herman Cain voters were unclear about his vision before, this thing sure isn't going to help.

What Good Could A Christian Possibly Find In A Friendship With An Atheist?

The progressive religious culture site (and magazine) RELEVANT has posted an article ('My Friend, The Atheist') by C.R. Wiley, a Christian who has atheist friends. The writer discusses the many ways that his friendships with atheists have made him a better person, as well as how these relationships have shown him some of the shortcomings of his Christian friends.

It's a neat piece, not only for dealing with a very (ahem) relevant topic, but also for its willingness to say what many Christian writers will not say: a) that atheists aren't the horrible scum that they've been characterized as for so long, b) that Christians and atheists can be, and often are, good friends, and c) that atheists are often just as moral as Christians (or even more so).

I have to say that I do have some issues with the article (atheism is not a 'dehumanizing philosophy', for instance), but knowing that this is a Christian writing in a Christian magazine, I can overlook some of the mischaracterizations and simplifications and appreciate the author's effort to demystify atheism to his audience, and to encourage them to associate with non-believers.

The entire piece is worth your time, but I will highlight a few segments:

In my experience, atheists are more likely to know why they are atheists than theists are to know why they are theists. Even worse, atheists tend to have a better grasp of the basic tenets of the religions they reject than the adherents of those religions. It is all somewhat discouraging. 

* * * 

Atheists can be intellectually stimulating. Their distrust is the source of their critical sharpness. In a secondhand way, Christians can benefit from it. My wife's grandfather, a man educated at Harvard and Yale, once told me the danger of only listening to people we find agreeable is that we can nod ourselves to sleep. Keeping a few atheists for friends is caffeinating. I can be sure they will challenge my arguments. Like most people, I am a bit lazy. Atheists force me to think. 

* * *

My atheist friends have taught me compassion. Since atheists believe the universe began with a bang, but without the benefit of someone lighting the fuse, the second law of thermodynamics is their only guide as to how it will end. Everything will float apart in a cold eternal night. What difference does that make? The universe isn't going anywhere. It has no meaningful purpose. Since the world does not serve the will of God, atheists must find their meaning in their own willing.

As a non-believer, I have, at times, been that smug, condescending, cynic that tends to give atheists a bad name (in my defense, I usually only resort to this when others are using their faith to malign others or to impede progress). Lucky for me, I have some pretty awesome Christians in my life who have kept me in check when I have crossed a line (my non-believing friends have done so, as well). Many of my Christian friends and relatives are also, like me, liberal, compassionate, principled, and passionate about social issues.

I know many Christians that cringe at the behavior of other Christians who may exhibit a lack of compassion, and I know many non-believers who cringe at their fellow non-believers who exhibit this same lack. I have found that I often have more in common with progressive Christians than I do atheists (see John Shore), and I know many of my Christian friends have more in common with some non-believers.

It's a strange, polarized world we are living in. As the author of the above piece illustrates, each of us might benefit from allowing ourselves to be challenged by those who believe differently, by allowing ourselves to appreciate the positive aspects of other belief systems, and by working together to make progress on social issues.

I'd like to see more Christians defend their compassionate and principled atheist friends. And conversely, I'd like to see more non-believers defend their compassionate and principled Christians friends. At the end of the day, we all want progress.

Rick Santorum Defends Biblical Values, Gets Blasted By Penn State Student

On Piers Morgan's show this week, Rick Santorum stated that he's not a member of the clergy, and therefore it wasn't his job to state whether or not homosexuality is a 'sin.' He could, however, state that homosexuality is wrong, and that if his son were gay, he would help him through his 'difficult time' to learn to lead a 'healthy,' 'faithful' life. Morgan presses Santorum on whether or not his views, and the views of the Catholic Church, are bigoted. Santorum concedes, then rejects the claim.

Santorum has gay friends, you see. Or so he says. I wonder, however, if Rick Santorum understands that friendship is a two-way street. Somehow I wonder if those folks would claim Santorum as a friend.



Later this week, the frothy mix visited Penn State, where he threw a hissy fit after a student started dropping science on his ass. And, in typical religious right fashion, Santorum brushed it off as ideological conspiracy bullshit.

 

Rick, if you're going to continue to stand by 'biblical truths' as a politician, you'd best get used to being challenged by the growing body of evidence that conclusively shows that sexual orientation is not a choice. If you wish to keep thumping the Bible on the campaign trail, you may want to consider bowing out and becoming a member of the clergy.

Televangelist Types In Tongues On Facebook Prayer Post

Via Christian Post:

Pentecostal televangelist and self-professed prophetess Juanita Bynum has sparked curiosity among some Internet users and the Christian community for several comments on the minister's Facebook page where she appears to type "in tongues." 

In a series of posts published on Aug. 17, on one of Bynum's many Facebook pages, the minister typed messages where it was believed by commenters and critics that the she was praying in tongues.

Ms. Bynum was praying for Zachary Tims, the Florida megachurch minister found dead in a New York City hotel room last month.

We've all heard what it sounds like to speak in tongues, right? (Here's some tonguespeak at Sarah Palin's former church.)

Well, speaking in tongues while typing is like that. Sort of. Okay, not really. It's kind of more like when your cat steps on your keyboard.

 Here's Bynum speaking in tongues on Facebook:

"GIRD THEM UP IN THE SPIRIT...GIVE THEM A MIND TO PRAY LIKE NEVER BEFORE....WE CALL ON YOU JESUS....YOU ARE OUR HELP AND OURHOPE!!!!!!!! NDHDIUBGUGTRUCGNRTUGTIGRTIGRGBNRDRGNGGJNRIC YOU ARE OUR HELP AND OUR HOPE....RFSCNGUGHURGVHKTGHDKUNHSTNSVHGN YOU GOD......YOU ARE OUR HELP AND OUR HOPE!!!!!! OUR HOPE IS IN YOU FATHER......OUR STRENGTH FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS IS IN YOU FATHER......HELP US NOW......LORD WE DONT ASK FOR HELP FOR JUST THEM....THIS IS US....THIS IS A PART OF OUR OWN BODY..... "

According to Christian Post, several more posts appeared on Bynum's page that were just as bizarre. Many began posting on Bynum's Facebook wall, asking her about the episodes.

One of Juanita Bynum's tongue status updates.

One 'fan' wrote, "looks like you lost a few followers after your attention seeking post."Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.- Matthew 7:15." Another wrote, "YOU REALLY NEED TO STOP PLAYING WITH GOD THE WAY YOU ARE PLEASE SERIOUSLY SPEAKING IN TOUNGES ON FACE BOOK LOOK I CAN DO IT TO IF I WANTED TO PLAY WITH GOD SHABBA SHABBBA KIJBFJHBFREHVBFVBGIHOFKVBB VJKVFNWRO SEE REALLY." And another: "Its called speaking in tongues not thumbs!! AMEN and GOODNIGHT!" Bynum has not publicly addressed the issue, and did not respond to Christian Post's requests for a comment.

To be fair, Bynum never claimed to have purposefully typed 'in tongues,' but she obviously doesn't seem to mind the attention.

She either did it on purpose, did it on accident and is pretending it was on purpose, or she's on some of that shit they found on Zachary Tims.