Cadfile's Favorite Links on church and state from Diigo

9 Questions That Atheists Might Find Insulting (And the Answers) | Alternet

Tue May 21 17:18:29 +0000 2013

"Every marginalized group has some question, or questions, that are routinely asked of them -- and that drive them up a tree; questions that have insult or bigotry or dehumanization woven into the very asking. Sometimes the questions are asked sincerely, with sincere ignorance of the offensive assumptions behind them. And sometimes they are asked in a hostile, passive-aggressive, "I'm just asking questions" manner."

Tags: progressive philosophy secular humanism church and state atheism religion questions

Daily Kos: It's completely true that PolitiFact is full of crap on anti-gay discrimination

Tue May 07 19:21:52 +0000 2013

"Yup. According to PolitiFact, because some employers, including the government, don't discriminate, it's somehow less true that those 29 states lack protections for LGBT workers. Here's the thing about workplace protections, including discrimination: You shouldn't have to be lucky to be treated fairly. Equal rights should not be dependent on your employer's personal views. In 29 states, though, that's the situation, and PolitiFact is so invested in pretending that doesn't matter that it's challenging a statement that it acknowledges is correct if framed "in the context of blanket protections by states"—which is exactly how Navratilova framed it."

Tags: progressive gop lies discrimination lgbtq secular humanism church and state bigotry civil rights

Right-Wingers Use Boston Bombing to Paper Over Their Own Extremist Terror | Crooks and Liars

Wed Apr 24 18:25:27 +0000 2013

"The fact, however, is that the speculation about right-wing extremism's potential role was entirely rational, considering that in the past four years, there have been nearly 70 acts of domestic terrorism committed by right-wing extremists in the United States, compared to just over 30 such acts committed by Islamist extremists here. (I have prepared a report on this that Mother Jones will be publishing soon.) And let's not overlook the OTHER terrorist attack that occurred in the same week -- namely, the ricin attacks on the White House and Senate, a case that is still officially unsolved, now that the original suspect has been released. However, considering both the targets and the fact that ricin has long been a favorite weapon of right-wing extremists, there is a high likelihood that one or more of them will eventually prove to be the source of these attacks."

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state terrorism Boston marathon bombing anti-government right wing

'Family' Group Co-Opts Tragedy To Oppose 'Sexual Liberalism' | ThinkProgress

Fri Apr 19 20:54:05 +0000 2013

"In an email sent to supporters before Thursday night’s manhunt began in Massachusetts, the Family Research Council attempted to appropriate recent tragedies as arguments that support their social conservative positions. Referring to the Republicans’ Senate filibuster of the gun safety bill, FRC’s Tony Perkins claimed that tragedies like Newtown and Boston — as well as the shooting at its headquarters last summer — are the result of “sexual liberalism” and the lack of Christian influence on society:"

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state Family Research Council Boston marathon bombing co-opt

What Actually Happened To That Same-Sex Couple In The Missouri Hospital | ThinkProgress

Fri Apr 12 15:50:35 +0000 2013

"With these details, both the hospital’s and police’s actions seem more suspect, not less. At the foundation of the story remains the fact that Roger and Allen’s relationship was treated as inferior. Because they did not have a state-recognized marriage, they were regarded as legal strangers despite even having set up the available legal protections for each other. Roger, in turn, was subjected not just to discrimination but police brutality and legal consequences. This tragic story speaks volumes about the consequences of continuing to deny same-sex couples the right to marry and how they continue to be treated as second-class citizens. Notably, not one conservative organization has mentioned this story since it broke."

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state lgbt civil rights Same-Sex marriage missouri

11 Most Absurd Lies Conservatives Are Using to Brainwash America's School Kids | Alternet

Sat Mar 16 18:19:16 +0000 2013

"Lie #1: Racism has barely been an issue in U.S. history and slavery wasn’t that big a deal. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute reviewed the new social studies standards laid down by the rightwing-dominated Texas State School Board and found them to be a deplorable example of conservative wishful thinking replacing fact. At the top of list? Downplaying the role that slavery had in starting the Civil War, and instead focusing on “sectionalism” and “states rights,” even though the sectionalism and states rights arguments directly stemmed from Southern states wanting to keep slavery. There’s also a chance your kid might be misled to think post-Civil War racism was no big deal, as the standards excise any mention of the KKK, the phrase “Jim Crow" or the Black Codes. Mention is made of the Southern Democratic opposition to civil rights, but mysteriously, the mass defection of Southern Democrats to the Republican Party to punish the rest of the Democrats for supporting civil rights goes unmentioned. "

Tags: progressive conservatives lies kids public schools education secular humanism church and state

Daily Kos: GOP abortion foes violate the doctor-patient relationship

Mon Mar 11 17:21:01 +0000 2013

"Of course, protecting "the doctor-patient relationship" was never anything more than a sound bite, and a grotesquely cynical one at that. As draconian new abortion restrictions in Arkansas, Kansas and other GOP-controlled states show, Republicans are eviscerating the very doctor-patient relationship they pretend to cherish. When it comes to the health of American women, GOP anti-choice leaders across the country are requiring procedures women don't need to undergo and their physicians don't want to perform. And as it turns out, the party that decries "junk science" is mandating just that as it requires doctors to lie to patients about what complications they may—and may not—develop. Consider, for example, the unprecedented bill now advancing its way through the Kansas legislature towards certain signature by Gov. Sam Brownback. While the current draft dropped a provision "that would have banned abortion clinic workers from volunteering to bake cupcakes for their children's schools," the scope of the legislation is startling. As Huffington Post reported: The state House Federal and State Affairs Committee passed a 70-page bill that would tax abortions, establish life beginning at fertilization...and prohibit state employees from performing abortions during the workday. The bill also would require doctors to tell women that abortion causes breast cancer, even though the claim defies scientific fact. The bill is likely to pass."

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state abortion religious right liberty gop lies anti-science

The Error Driven Life: Rick Warren Spouts Misinformation About Health Care | Americans United

Sat Feb 16 08:25:48 +0000 2013

"Of course, many churches are involved in health care. The Catholic Church, Baptist bodies, Seventh-day Adventists and Jewish groups run hospitals, among others. But these institutions could not exist without government aid. Religious hospitals often receive direct government support and of course are reimbursed for the patients they see under Medicare and Medicaid. Warren played up a program his church sponsors in Rwanda that includes a health care component. There is a reason why church groups provide health care in poor, war-ravaged countries like Rwanda: There’s often no other option. If Warren thinks a network of clinics run by well-intentioned doctors can substitute for America’s modern network of hospitals and medical specialists, he’s sadly mistaken."

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state health care contraception birth control rick warren religious right

Fear and Conservatism | TPM Editors Blog

Thu Feb 07 18:42:45 +0000 2013

"According to a new study coauthored by Brown University political scientist Rose McDermott, a fearful people are likely to have conservative attitudes to so-called ‘out-groups’. And that heavily affects attitudes on hot button issues like immigration, war, segregation, and racial and sexual difference. "

Tags: progressive conservatism fear secular humanism church and state

NOM Founder To SCOTUS: Religious Discrimination Is More Important Than Marriage Equality | ThinkProgress

Wed Jan 30 20:42:01 +0000 2013

"The Declaration’s core argument is that Christians will be “ostracized and themselves targeted for discrimination,” citing primarily Catholic Charities, an organization that has time and again chosen to stop providing adoption services when their public funding is cut if they willingly discriminate against same-sex couples. In Washington, DC, Catholic Charities also cut spousal benefits for all couples rather than provide them to same-sex partners. For both cases, the brief claims Catholic Charities was “forced to close” its programs and “forced to stop providing benefits,” when in reality it simply chose to discriminate. It also cites the Massachusetts parents who objected to their kids learning that gay couples exist, though he’s also forced to note that they lost their suit."

Tags: progressive secular humanism discrimination lgbt church and state gay marriage religious bigotry

Tennessee 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Now Requires Teachers To Inform Parents If Their Child Is Gay | ThinkProgress

Wed Jan 30 19:40:49 +0000 2013

"The bill, SB 234, still bars Tennessee teachers from discussing any facet of “non-heterosexual” sexuality with children in grades K-8. But the newest iteration also includes a provision requiring teachers or counselors to inform the parents of some students who identify themselves as LGBT. State Sen. Stacey Campfield (R), who authored the bill the first time around and again introduced it this time, calls out students who might be “at risk,” but leaves the interpretation of that behavior to the teacher:"

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state lgbt children public schools

Boy Scouts Threaten to Kick Out Troop For Supporting Gay Members | Mother Jones

Fri Jan 25 21:46:15 +0000 2013

"The Boy Scouts council in charge of overseeing scout programs in the Washington, DC-area is threatening to kick out a Maryland troop for posting a statement on its website declaring it won't discriminate against gay scouts. The troop has to decide by tomorrow whether to remove the statement."

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state religious right boy scouts lgbt bigotry

Fundamentalist Says Refrigeration Removes Sin. Tough Luck Gays and Lesbians!

Fri Jan 25 21:45:06 +0000 2013

"Atheists and others (including me) like to ask why fundamentalist Christians believe they can violate God’s laws as laid out in Leviticus, but focus only on homosexuality as an abomination. According to Leviticus, eating shellfish or shaving is every bit as much an abomination as a man laying with another man. Well, look no further. According to Oklahoma Pastor James Taylor, who sat down for an interview with Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) the key is refrigeration"

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state religious right bible

Arizona Republicans Propose Bill That Would Not Allow Atheists To Graduate High School

Fri Jan 25 21:42:34 +0000 2013

"Keep in mind that in both cases, the bills do not help children get a better education. That’s the saddest thing about all this. The people who are in charge of fixing the education crisis are proposing solutions that would only waste more classroom time and exclude many students from graduating despite fulfilling their current requirements."

Tags: progressive high school secular humanism church and state public schools religious freedom loyalty oath

Nepal to issue “third gender” IDs - Salon.com

Thu Jan 24 03:47:14 +0000 2013

"An official says Nepal’s government will begin issuing citizenship certificates with the category “third gender” for people who do not wish to be identified as male or female. Activists hailed the decision, saying it was an achievement for gay and transgender rights. Home Ministry Bhola Siwakot says an order to issue the certificates was sent to all district administration offices. Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the government should issue “third gender” citizenship certificates but it took five years to implement the decision."

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state nepal gender lgbt third gender human rights

Tennessee Pastor: Mass Shootings Because Schools Teach Evolution and 'How to Be a Homo' | Video Cafe

Tue Dec 18 04:53:38 +0000 2012

"A Tennessee pastor on Sunday told his congregation that the number of mass shooting were escalating because of schools were government "mind-control centers" that taught "junk about evolution" and "how to be a homo." Old Paths Baptist Church Pastor Sam Morris began speaking about last week's school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut by warning that "this sermon will not be pleasant." "We get all up in arms about 20 children being shot in a day care but we don't give one good-glory rip about the 4,000 that were removed violently from the wombs of their mothers [in abortion procedures] the same day," he explained. "I believe they use children and Christmas and all that to pull on our heart strings about gun control. That's what it's all about.""

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state mass killing Newtown shooting public schools god stupidty

We Don’t Need to Force God Into Our Schools; Mass Murders Happen in Religious Places, Too

Mon Dec 17 20:48:18 +0000 2012

"The point here is that senseless violence doesn’t stop at a church door. God doesn’t put a bulletproof dome over our body when we profess our faith in Him. Religion doesn’t prevent any of this shit from happening any more than belief in God stops people from committing murder. So enough of the ridiculous notion that the Newtown massacre happened because we “took God out of our schools.” Not only did we never do that, but even if we had, it wouldn’t have stopped this shooting from occurring. Anyone can pray in a public school. No atheist/liberal/civil-liberties group has ever wanted to take that right away from anyone. It should be a personal decision, though, not a mandated one."

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state mass killing Newtown shooting public schools god

The Secular Student Alliance and Foundation Beyond Belief Comment on the Newtown Shootings

Mon Dec 17 04:07:22 +0000 2012

Yesterday, the Secular Student Alliance & The Foundation Beyond Belief issued statements about the Newtown shootings

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state secular student alliance foundation beyond belief Newtown gun control violence

Fischer: God Didn't Stop CT School Shooting Because He's a Gentleman Who Doesn't Go Where He Is Not Wanted | Right Wing Watch

Fri Dec 14 22:25:22 +0000 2012

"Fischer said that God could have protected the victims of this massacre, but didn't because "God is not going to go where he is not wanted" and so if school administrators really want to protect students, they will start every school day with prayer:"

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state American Family Association Bryan Fischer douche Newtown shooting

Fox Uses Live Nativity Scene To Shove Christ Down Our Throats | Crooks and Liars

Fri Dec 07 03:45:36 +0000 2012

"In one of three segments (one in each hour) devoted to the subject this morning, Steve Doocy went outside where the Faith and Action group staged a live Nativity scene in front of Fox News HQ in New York. Doocy was so busy slobbering over the presentation that he forgot to tell the “we report, you decide” network’s viewers that the group involved, Faith and Action, and interviewee Pastor Rob Schenck are not just a group of Americans suddenly moved to display their Christmas spirit in a re-enactment. They’re Christian activists with a right-wing political agenda. For example, Right Wing Watch reports that Schenck, a veteran abortion-clinic protester, was arrested back in 1992 for thrusting a fetus at then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton. Nevertheless, after Schenck announced that his Nativity scene had been re-enacted in front of the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday and “sent a very powerful message,” Doocy asked all innocently, “What is the message?” Sure enough, that message is that Christmas is for crusading - and using government property to do it:"

Tags: progressive secular humanism church and state nativity scene war on christmas Christian privilege 1st Amendment