Oral Roberts is Dead

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091215/oru-founder-hospitalized-after-fall/

In January 1987, during a fundraising drive, Roberts announced to a television audience that unless he raised $8 million by that March, God would "call him home" (a euphemism for death).^[12][13] Some were fearful that he was referring to suicide given the passionate pleas and tears that accompanied his statement. He raised $9.1 million.^[14]

[Source: Wikipedia]

Arlo Guthrie responded: "I firmly believe we shouldn't negotiate with any terrorist on any level."

Good riddance to bad rubbish.  If only there was a Hell in which con-men and charlatans like Roberts could suffer for preying on the weak-minded, desperate, and gullible. 

I used to think *I* was cynical.  If he actually believed in hell, he wouldn't have fleeced so damned many people.

My New Hero: Anne Druyan

If you like, you can skip up to Anne's response to the remarks of a person of faith on "the unknown" at 3m55s

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on Religion in Schools

New York Times

December 21, 2006

To the Editor:

People cited violation of the First Amendment when a New Jersey schoolteacher asserted that evolution and the Big Bang are not scientific and that Noah's ark carried dinosaurs.

This case is not about the need to separate church and state; it's about the need to separate ignorant, scientifically illiterate people from the ranks of teachers.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

New York, Dec. 19, 2006

http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/category/opus/commentary?page=2

Parity

Debate: Fry and Hitchens vs. The Catholics

Hitchens, as usual comes off as arrogant, but wholly right. Fry, however, is brilliant.

One embed for all five parts:


Separate embeds for each of five parts:

Facebook Theology Discussion ("That seems cruel.")

 

Via: http://www.irreligion.org/2009/09/30/seems-cruel/

Venn diagram

Betty Bowers Explains Traditional Marriage to Everyone Else

Sell The Vatican: Feed the Hungry

Jesus + Comics = Hilarity

 

Bill Maher on Voting and Religion

Klezmatics - I Ain't Afraid

Embedded player above

Baptist Church Burning BIBLES

Canton, NC-

Church plans to burn "satanic" books on Halloween...including some versions of the @#$%ing BIBLE.

Video

CANTON, N.C. — A North Carolina pastor says his church plans to burn Bibles and books by Christian authors on Halloween to light a fire under true believers.

Pastor Marc Grizzard told Asheville TV station WLOS that the King James version of the Bible is the only one his small western North Carolina church follows. He says all other versions, such as the Living Bible, are "satanic" and "perversions" of God's word.

On Halloween night, Grizzard and the 14 members of the Amazing Grace Baptist Church also will burn music and books by Christian authors, such as Billy Graham and Rick Warren.

Telephone calls to the Amazing Grace Baptist Church and Grizzard's home were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Moses + Two Mommies

I can't help but think Judaism would have been improved by this.

Pascal's Sucker-Bet

I remember sitting in a humanities class in college and recognizing that Pascal's Wager was a load of crap, but I never could have taken it apart like the Reverend James Huber does in his piece "Pascal's Sucker-Bet"

Love it.