The Immoral Christian Hall of Shame

Kudos to Mojoey for posting this alphabetical list of clergy and associates accused of crimes and misdeeds he calls it the Morally Corrupt.

And the truly sad part is that this is but a small slice of morally corrupt horde of believers in positions of power in a church... I could easily double or treble it with a little work... I might some day.

Hypocritical Christian Church

A busy church food bank, known for offering warm drinks and snacks to its regulars, has announced it’s closing because it is attracting too many poor people.

And lord knows, you don't want those smelly poor people hanging around a church!

Follow Jesus? You'll Burn in Hell!

It says so right in your bible.

Luke 14:26 says that you must hate your family to be a disciple of Jesus.

1 John 3:15 says that if you hate your brother you are a murderer.

Revelation 21:8 says that all murderers will burn in hell.

So if you understand transitivity, christians are gonna burn in hell...

A-Flock-alypse Now? Birds Dying Because of DADT Repeal

What can be said about such rampant stupidity?

Faith Healers "At It Again"

One of my hot button issues is in the news again as christian idiots - this time from Oregon - relied on faith healing and refused to seek medical help for their child.

In late July 2010, two members of the Followers of Christ church were charged with first-degree criminal mistreatment for failing to provide medical care for their infant daughter. The couple,
Timothy and Rebecca Wyland pleaded not guilty during a brief appearance before Clackamas County Circuit Judge Robert D. Herndon and were released without bail.

The area above their child's left eye started swelling shortly after birth. She developed a hemangioma -- a fast-growing mass of blood vessels -- that bulged out and pushed the eyeball down and outward. Oregon Health & Science University doctors who examined the girl said that without treatment, she could lose sight.

This shit has got to stop. This is a pattern with this particular church (and, let's face it, there are others). Two other couples from this church failed to provide medical care to their children: a15-month-old and a 16 year old, and both died as a result.

These folks should lose custody of their children. There are many responsible folks out there who would be willing to raise them and give them the proper care they need.

Ashamed to Live in Texas

The Texas Board of Education has been meeting this week to revise its social studies curriculum. During the past three days, “the board’s far-right faction wielded their power to shape lessons on the civil rights movement, the U.S. free enterprise system and hundreds of other topics”:

– To avoid exposing students to “transvestites, transsexuals and who knows what else,” the Board struck the curriculum’s reference to “sex and gender as social constructs.”

– The Board removed Thomas Jefferson from the Texas curriculum, “replacing him with religious right icon John Calvin.”

– The Board refused to require that “students learn that the Constitution prevents the U.S. government from promoting one religion over all others.”

– The Board struck the word “democratic” from the description of the U.S. government, instead terming it a “constitutional republic.”

As the nation’s second-largest textbook market, Texas has enormous leverage over publishers, who often “craft their standard textbooks based on the specs of the biggest buyers.” Indeed, as The Washington Monthly has reported, “when it comes to textbooks, what happens in Texas rarely stays in Texas.”

Christian "Family Values" Group Wants to Stone the Whale

Reprinted from American Atheists News:

CHRISTIAN "FAMILY VALUES" GROUP WANTS EXECUTION
-- BY STONING -- OF SEAWORLD KILLER WHALE

"And he piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the rage and hate felt by his whole race. If his chest had been a cannon he would have shot his heart upon it."
-- Herman Melville, "THE WHALE" or "MOBY DICK"

While it is misleadingly called "the Good Book," that collection of scriptural snippets known as The Holy Bible is, in fact, filled with outrages, blood-curdling tales of divine wrath, absurd instructions and -- as Richard Dawkins has so aptly pointed out -- downright psychopathic behavior.

Jehovah, God, call-him-what-you-will is an especially wrathful creature demanding the full supplication of His human subjects, and bringing havoc to those who disobey. or even doubt. Jesus, the star and central character of the New Testament, is a bit less barbaric perhaps. He does not command the slaying of countless first-borns by a worldly king, nor the wholesale sacrifice of thousands of other innocents (children included) who happened to reside in the Sodom and Gomorrah zip code areas. He instead washes feet, feeds a crowd using his miraculous powers, and promises an afterlife for those who comply with his Father's commandments. Still, the bible remains a book of horrors, baffling contradictions, and for the most part brutal instructions on how people should live.

Which brings us to Exodus, 21:287 and 21:29, which calls for the stoning to death of any oxen which kill a man or a woman. In the first passage, the animal's owner is spared, but in the second, he, too, shall meet his maker by stoning.

Oxen may not be common in most advanced countries which practice mechanized farming, but stoning remains a popular and almost fetishized method of execution for some Christians and their brethren Muslims. Christian Reconstructions advocate this brutal penalty for those guilty of transgressions like adultery, homosexuality, blasphemy and "witchcraft." Indeed, Gary North, a leader in the Reconstructionist church movement, praised this method of execution since stones were "cheap" and readily available.

Now comes the American Family Association which, since its founding over three decades ago, has served as the nation's self-appointed arbiter of all things obscene, unwholesome and at odds with God's commandments. Hardly a swatch of exposed, inappropriate skin has escaped the watchful eye of the AFA (Janet Jackson's Super Bowl gaffe is a case in point) which has denounced a long list of movies, television programs, theatrical plays and books for objectionable content. The group, founded by Rev. Donald Wildmon is based in Tupelo, Mississippi, and describes itself as "a Christian organization promoting the biblical ethic of decency in American Society..."

AFA tactics include boycotts, pickets and, of course, lobbying state legislatures and Capitol Hill for tough -- and likely unconstitutional -- restrictions of anything deemed "obscene." It has also been a stalwart opponent of gay rights; and recently an AFA official proposed that homosexual behavior be criminalized.

Lately, however, the group has waded into, well, new waters. No longer reserving its wrath for pornographers or salacious entertainment industry moguls, it is now targeting a new and formidable nemesis, namely Tilikum, the killer whale of Sea World Fame.

No, this is no fish tale!

Recall that two weeks ago, the whale dragged 40-year old trainer Dawn Brancheau to her death during a performance in front of a stunned, terrified audience. No sooner had questions been raised about how this horrify accident happened than an American Family Association blogger promptly posted a call for Tilikum's execution by stoning in accordance with biblical mandates. No, the prophets of the Old Testament never anticipated something like Sea World where the ferocious creatures of the deep performed tricks for the amusement of their human captors, but they did know a thing or two about oxen.

The blogger, identified as Bryan Fisher, unearthed the relevant passages from the Book of Exodus. One was Chapter 21, Verse 28:

"When an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner shall not be liable."

In the following Verse 29, the wisdom of Jehovah is even more obvious.
If the same owner has another ox guilty of the same offense:

"The ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death..."

Tilikum is guilty of this second transgression, at least according to the writer of Exodus. In 1991, the killer whale downed another trainer at a Sea World facility in Canada. Eight years later, a man who apparently entered the park after it had officially closed was discovered dead and naked on Tilikum's back.

The divine message is clear, at least to the American Family Association: the offending whale has violated God's law and must be put to death by stoning, along with the principals of the Sea World corporation which includes hundreds, if not thousands of "owners" in the form of officers, shareholders and possibly even employees related to the incident.

That's a whole bunch of stones!

The story would be utterly ridiculous -- just the thought of the AFA turning to the ossified passage of a bronze age holy book for fair and legal answers to complex modern problems is absurd -- were it not for the influence the organization wields. AFA is part of a coterie of groups that constitute "the religious right," and until recently enjoyed carte blanche on Capitol Hill and at the White House. Some Hollywood studios even gave Wildmon's board of censors advance screenings of forthcoming films with an eye to excising offending segments that might prompt boycotts (never mind letting the "free market" of consumers decide the box office success). And for many politicians, there was not sufficient book-spittle on hand when Wildmon and his legal arm demanded more restrictions on free speech in the name of that elusive chimera known as "community decency."

Hopefully, this incident will be the nail-in-the-coffin for the American Family Association, There is debate among biologists and other experts as to the wisdom of releasing the 13-ton Tilikum into the open sea or keeping him at Sea World. Mr. Fisher did urge the parents of Dawn Brancheau to "sue the pants off Sea World for allowing this killer whale to kill again..." That is wiser counsel than suggesting that Tilikum and his owners be stoned to death. It also confirms that groups like AFA and other Christian Reconstructionists, while purporting to represent the best interests of (Christian, heterosexual) families harbor a dark and brutal creed. Their God is coming not with loves, fishes and blessings, but with a vengeful attitude and a very, very large pile of stones.

"...to confer a “Christian” history upon the United States then, isn’t merely annoying — it’s also deeply dishonest."

How Christian were the founders? Who cares?

The most popular story at NYTimes. com this hour focuses on the never-ending story to define the Founding Fathers in religious terms.

The one thing that underlies the entire program of the nation’s Christian conservative activists is, naturally, religion. But it isn’t merely the case that their Christian orientation shapes their opinions on gay marriage, abortion and government spending. More elementally, they hold that the United States was founded by devout Christians and according to biblical precepts. This belief provides what they consider not only a theological but also, ultimately, a judicial grounding to their positions on social questions. When they proclaim that the United States is a “Christian nation,” they are not referring to the percentage of the population that ticks a certain box in a survey or census but to the country’s roots and the intent of the founders.

The narrow answer to the question, of course is that some of the Founders were Christians and some, like Thomas Jefferson, were deists at best, and thus “Christian” only in the sense that Unitarians are Christians — which is to say, not really Christians at all.

The broader answer to the question of whether the Founders were Christians, though, is this: Who cares?

As a thought experiment, let’s consider asking a similar question: How slavery-loving were the Founders? The answer would be about the same; some were, some weren’t — and it doesn’t really matter all that much today. Truth is: The Founding Fathers thought a lot more about slavery than religion in putting together the Constitution: The clause that designates slaves as three-fifths of a person appears in the fifth paragraph of the document. The entire structure of the legislative branch — the bicameral thing — was designed to let slave-owning states feel comfortable the free states wouldn’t run roughshod over them. Religion, meanwhile, makes no appearance until the First Amendment; it’s an important amendment, but — coming four years after the main body of the Constitution had been adopted — a bit of a historical afterthought. And rather than enshrine religion, of course, the First Amendment serves to keep the state and the church out of each other’s ways.

In thinking back to the Founders, too, it’s important to remember that they lived in a much less ecumenical age than we. The Catholics of Maryland probably thought the Puritans of Massachusetts were going to Hell — and vice versa. Connecticut and Rhode Island were, in fact, founded by religious splinter groups that found the Massachusetts colonists too stifling. If the Founding Fathers had sought to enshrine Christianity is the state religion, then, they would’ve had to answer a critical question: Whose Christianity? It’s likely the whole project might’ve died in the cradle.

It’s fair to say, then, that the United States exists because the Founders sidestepped the question. So the project to confer a “Christian” history upon the United States then, isn’t merely annoying — it’s also deeply dishonest.

But still: Who cares? The Founding Fathers should be treated with respect and a bit of reverence, I suppose, but we often seem to be in danger of fetishizing them.

Christian Murderers in Oregon

Religion: Faith healing in Oregon on trial. The first week in the trial of Jeff and Marci Beagley for the negligent homicide of their son Neil concluded on Friday with a doctor's testimony that signs of Neil Beagley's failing health gave his parents ample warning that the teenager needed immediate medical treatment.

Neil Beagley of Oregon City was only 16 when he died in June 2008 of complications from a urinary tract blockage that doctors said could have been easily treated. Neil and his parents refused to seek medical treatment in favor of prayer. The decision proved fatal.

The Beagleys are also the parents of Raylene Worthington, whose 15-month-old daughter, the Beagleys' granddaughter, died in 2008 of pneumonia and a blood infection.

Jeff and Marci Beagley are members of the Followers of Christ Church, which rejects doctors and medical treatment in favor of faith healing. The church has become notorious in Oregon for allowing children to die rather than seek routine medical care.

The Beagley's defense hangs on the claim that Neil, being 16 years of age, had the legal right to refuse medical attention under Oregon law. Yet poor Neil never had a chance. Home schooled and isolated, surrounded and raised by religious zealots lacking any moral compass, Neil was brainwashed from birth.

In addition to the negligent homicide charges, Jeff and Marci Beagley should be charged with 16 years of child abuse. What else can we call parents who isolate their children and feed them a diet of nothing but religious mumbo jumbo and biblical non-sense?

Satan Writes In...

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher.

The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake.

Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll.

You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best,
Satan

(From Minneapolis - St. Paul Star Tribune)

Test Your God Knowledge Here

Here is a short test. See if you can score 100% in your knowledge of the Christian God?

1. Did God kill every living human on earth with a flood?
__ Yes __ No

2. Did God order his chosen people to kill all the non-virgins in conquered cities, but to keep the virgin girls for slaves and raping?
__ Yes __ No

3. Did God send bears to maul children for mocking a bald prophet?
__ Yes __ No

4. Is God stronger than chariots made of iron?
__ Yes __ No

5. Who allowed his most devoted follower, Job, to lose his whole family, fortune, and friends, just to prove a point to the devil?
__ Moses
__ Bill Clinton
__ God
__ Larry King
__ Sean Hannity
__ Barack Obama

6. Did God kill millions of baby Egyptians after intentionally hardening the heart of the Pharoah so he wouldn't let the Israelites go?
__ Yes __ No

7. Are women allowed to speak in church?
__ Yes __ No

8. If you decide to follow Jesus, can you still love your family, or must you hate them?
__ Love __ Hate

9. Does God cause people to eat one another (I'm talking cannibalism here, not anything sexual)?
__ Yes __ No

10. Will God destroy the wisdom of the wise?
__ Yes __ No

Best of luck to you.

Bible Comes in Handy to Justify Pedophilia

The ex-wife of a former youth pastor accused of using his position to form sexual relationships with at least six church members testified Tuesday that she partook in sex acts with her former husband and one of his alleged victims.

John Picard faces 42 counts of sexual battery for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with six girls who attended Grace Brethren Church.

Four of the girls, prosecutors say, were minors.

During the course of his trial, alleged victims have testified that Picard was a controlling man who used his position as pastor, as well as Bible passages, to get them to engage in sexual activity.

Here we have yet another "Christian leader" being morally repugnant. It should no longer surprise anyone. I wonder how many of those other child raping priests and pastors thought to use the Bible to sway their prey and justify their actions? What a fine book that Bible is!

Go Ahead... Fire That Bus Driver

The below story comes from The Examiner... my thoughts are in the title of this blog post:

The Des Moines, Iowa, bus driver who refused to drive a bus with the above ad on it has been suspended from her job. According to a report, Angela Shiel refused to drive the bus because the ad of the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers goes against her Christian faith. The 8-year employee faces termination.

According to the report, the general manager of Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), Brad Miller, said that "DART policy states that drivers cannot choose which buses they drive." He said, "'Drivers are not permitted to reject a working bus. It's a very fundamental policy for DART. ... It's an essential rule that we will maintain.'"

Of course, this brings up a whole new issue. Do government employees have the right to refuse to do their job if it is against their religion? Now I cannot imagine that it is written anywhere in Christian documentation that "thou shalt not steer a bus bearing ads of the fool who hath said in his heart or out-loud or in print that there is no God." So, it is difficult to see how this would be against her religion. It may sting her religious "sensibilities" a tad, but how can doing her job, in this instance, be against her religion?

According to the report, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Ben Stone, said, "'As a government agency operating a public forum, DART and all of its employees, including its drivers, are required to follow the First Amendment. Since DART managers cannot claim a religious reason to censor bus ads, neither can drivers.'" He went on to say, "'When you work for the government, part of your job is to respect the rights of your fellow citizens, and you cannot use your religious beliefs to evade that responsibility.'"

Shiel's husband reportedly said that his wife should have the right to refuse to drive a bus with the atheist ad on the side. He said that making her drive one of those buses is like telling her to be "'two-faced for the fact that she wants an income.'"

A Des Moines civil rights lawyer, Roxanne Conlin, has gotten in on the controversy saying that Shiel has the right to refuse to drive the bus and that making her drive it may violate her rights. She said that DART should accommodate Shiel in respect of her religious beliefs if they can reasonably do so. "For example", the report said, "DART might have been able to transfer her to a different bus or let her do desk work."

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. It seems, though, no matter what, when it comes to running these ads, DART is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't... at least for now.

Enjoyable Rapture Post

Just a very quick post today to share this link to The Rapture is not an exit strategy from the Deep Thoughts blog.

Nice job, Mojoey!

Isn't That Convenient?

I've noticed a propensity for the "believers" to discount the huge number of philandering christian leaders, priests, and ministers saying something like "Oh, they weren't really christian, then." Well, then, I guess there are no christians, at all.

How do I make that leap? Start off by taking the mindset of the "christian" apologist. S/he thinks that a "pervert" is not a christian because christianity teaches that one should not do that. Well, christianity also teaches that one should not lie, steal, cheat, etc. These are called sins. And it also teaches that everyone is a sinner and needs to repent.

So, if the sinner (pervert) is not a christian, then the others sinners (liars, cheaters, everyone) are not christians. Simple as that. I am so relieved that there are no christians!

Jesus Shows Up In Remarkable Places

If you get close enough, you can almost smell him.

More Needless Spending Encourage by Christian Republican

Before the August recess, a resolution will be voted on by the House of Representatives that will require the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the words "In God We Trust" and the post-1954 Pledge of Allegiance onto the walls of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). References to religion and faith are already included in several of the permanent exhibits, and the words "In God We Trust" are even present in one such exhibit. But that's not enough for Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) who is pushing for a larger, bolder display. Let your Representative know that you oppose his efforts.

Click here to take action now.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that this additional engraving could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Tell your Representative that it is inappropriate for taxpayer money to be spent promoting a distorted image of America that undermines The First Amendment, and alienates the millions of nontheistic Americans who neither "trust in God" nor pledge "under God." This legislation will most likely pass the House with a large majority vote; however, members of Congress must be educated about why appeasing the Religious Right is offensive to millions of Americans who value our nation's secular heritage.

NEWSFLASH - Christians Complain About Having to Obey the Law!

From the wonderful NoGodBlog:

May 28th, 2009

SAN DIEGO — A local pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a San Diego County official, who then threatened them with escalating fines if they continued to hold Bible studies in their home, 10News reported.

That’s right, a house can’t be used as a church. It’s against zoning laws.

Broyles said, “The county asked, ‘Do you have a regular meeting in your home?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you say amen?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you pray?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you say praise the Lord?’ ‘Yes.’”

Does anyone actually believe this conversation happened? I’m thinking it’s at least a partial lie. When was the last time a nonChristian said “Do you praise the Lord”?

The county employee notified the couple that the small Bible study, with an average of 15 people attending, was in violation of County regulations, according to Broyles.

Broyles said a few days later the couple received a written warning that listed “unlawful use of land” and told them to “stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit” — a process that could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Right. That’s the law. Same as everyone else.

Broyles said his clients have asked to stay anonymous until they give the county a demand letter that states by enforcing this regulation the county is violating their First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion.

Broyles also said this case has broader implications.

“If the county thinks they can shut down groups of 10 or 15 Christians meeting in a home, what about people who meet regularly at home for poker night? What about people who meet for Tupperware parties? What about people who are meeting to watch baseball games on a regular basis and support the Chargers?” Broyles asked.

Read More

10-15 cars parked on my street every Sunday morning affects neighbors a lot more than a 1-time tupperware party. Come on. The law is the law, and this couple is simply trying to use religion to shield themselves from breaking it. They want to avoid paying their fees. They want, essentially, a free ride at the expense of their neighbors because they are Christian.

But business is business, and this pastor needs a permit just like everyone else. THIS IS THE REASON THERE ARE ZONING LAWS! Businesses in residential townships hurt property values and create burden for the neighbors by increasing noise and traffic. Somehow, this is not addressed in the article.

This isn’t a “they won’t let me pray” thing, it’s a “they won’t let me treat my residence like it’s zoned for commercial use” thing. This whole persecution thing is so old. Just obey the damn laws.

Murdering Anti-Abortion Nutballs Strike Again

Dr. George Tiller, 67, one of the few OB-GYNs in the country who performed late-term abortions despite ongoing threats to his safety, was fatally shot yesterday while attending a church service in Wichita, Kan. Scott Roeder, 51, has been detained for questioning.

Looks like another victim of christianity.

Sex-Abusing Christians and Criminal Clergy

The Rick A. Ross Institute has compiled an impressive (hmmm, not a very good word, but I'll keep it) list of clergy abuse that shows just how "holy" supposed men of god actually are.

Check it out and you'll find priests, vicars, nuns, pastors, preachers and bishops abusing, touching, fondling, snogging, and raping boys and girls all over the world.

Amen.