Huh?

Why does Florida offer a decapitated Jesus as a license plate option?

The End of Christian America?

Jon Meacham's essay on the decline in the numbers of Christian Americans is a milder take on the notion of a "Post-Christian" nation.

I don't think we're post-anything yet; there's simply too much change going on. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as major shifts do not happen overnight. However, I am keen to see how these changes will affect society and politics in the future.

And the beat goes on...

Turns out the Texas State Board of Education is headed by an out-n-proud "Young Earth Creationist" who wants to put Creationism into the textbooks used by public schools in the state. News blurb here.

What is a "Young Earth Creationist" you ask? Well, it's someone who, despite ample scientific evidence to the contrary, believes that the Earth was created in a literal 6 (six) days and that the planet is a mere 10,000 years old because the Bible says so. Now, what I want to know is, who put this guy in charge of what the children of this state will learn? Why does he think it's okay to put his religious and political beliefs ahead of scientific facts?

Scary stuff. Next thing you know, the fire department will hire an arsonist to run their operation.

UPDATE: How to argue with a Creationist.

Catholic Church reinstates Indulgences

Yep, they're back. Apparently just going to confession and praying aren't enough to get you lowly sinners into heaven, you also need one of these babies. The Church isn't selling them this go-around, but they are bringing them back as a way to get Catholics to stop reading self-help books.

The NY Times reports:

According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament.

There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it. You can get one for yourself, or for someone else, living or dead. You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1857 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day.

And so it begins again....

A new year, a new president (well, in 2 weeks...), a new starting point for people who like starting points. I don't usually make new year's resolutions because I think they're crap. I think people should start doing good/healthy/positive things any day of the week and keep doing them because they are good/healthy/positive, not because it's a certain day on the calendar.

That said, here are a few good/healthy/positive things I've been doing but plan to continue to do or do more of in 2009:

1. Composting. It's easy and it's good for your garden. What? You're not growing your own food? Relax, I'm not either. Well, I tried to grow veggies, but I failed. I will try again this year with the help of the organic compost pile I started last summer. Now that I've learned many lessons from the many mistakes I made as a novice gardener, I think '09's crop will be bigger and better (and hopefully tasty...?)! Check out Martha's site for tips on composting. I also wanna give a big shout-out to my housemates for saving egg shells, veggie scraps, and coffee grounds for me this year. I hope to repay them with yummy homegrown veggies in the coming year.
2. Recycling. Duh. Been doing it, will keep doing it. Am quite pleased about the addition of plastics 3-7 to the list of acceptable plastics. Not so pleased about it all being carted off 100 miles away for processing, but hopefully the city will get its act together for a local recycling plant soon.
3. Activism. It's no secret this robot is a gay robot in love with a gay guanaco. Some say our love is wrong. Some think we're adorable. I've decided this year I'm actually going to get down and dirty and participate in various public protests to gain some civil rights for gays and lesbians. I'm also going to try to help out some puppies and kitties while I'm at it.
4. Spirituality. It's been over a decade since I've felt even remotely spiritual, much less religious. That's slowly changing. The ziegeist has felt particularly hypocritical in the sphere of the Divine in the past 8+ years. But I think 2009 is going to be a year of rebirth (forgive the cliche) for me. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
5. Shakin' my booty. Yep, I'm talking about exercise. The thing everyone talks about in January. It's almost as if the national psyche aligns into one giant hive mind causing the throngs of overweight Americans to buy sweatpants and head to the nearest gym en masse. You wanna talk about New Year's cliches? Well, this is it! But seriously, I've actually been exercising lately. Baby G and I went to SF and walked EVERYWHERE for 10 straight days, I've been biking, walking, hiking... I can even climb the 3 flights of stairs at work now and not want to fall down and die at the top. Now that is some change I can get behind! (Pun totally intended.)

So, there you have it. Tiny Robot's five things she's been doing but plans to continue doing and/or plans to do more of for 2009. You got 5 things? Post em in the comments section or on your own blog.

Another "WTF?!" Brought to you by the AFA

Those wacky folks at the AFA are selling "Christmas Crosses" for front yard display this holiday season.

Some thoughts:

1. Um, Christmas is about the birth of Christ, not his death. That's Easter.

2. If someone in my neighborhood (or any neighborhood for that matter) put such a display up, I'd think they were part of the Klan. I mean look at it! It looks like a burning cross! Yikes!

New London Bus Slogans

"There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." Velly interesting...

I'd like to note that were such signs put on buses here, people would shit themselves trying to get them removed. 'Cuz America's a "Christian nation." Pay no attention to all the other folks who live here.

Somebody's been listening to crappy Top 40 radio again...

...and doesn't have a sense of humor.

Late June Tidbits

30 As a 1930s wife, I am Poor Take the test!

George Carlin has passed away. I've been watching clips of his comedy routines on YouTube and trying not to laugh too loudly at work.

Overly self-righteous dude, James Dobson, is telling anyone who'll listen that Barak Obama is "distorting the Bible." Whatever. I don't see Dobson following the Bible letter for letter. If he was, he'd be sacrificing goats and have a long beard, as well as stoning adulterers and thieves, just as the Bible directs.

UPDATE: Obama to Dobson: Shut up.

A Series of Odd Events

• The animals running the Burmese government aren't giving cyclone victims the food that has been donated by various other countries. Instead, the victims are getting moldy biscuits and old rice to eat. It is believed that the good stuff is being horded in military warehouses. What a bunch of jerks! (That's me, being diplomatic.)
• "Chubby" gays need love too. Now they have their own dating site. Interesting choice of words, I say. (Oh, and if you're at work, or if you value your own eyesight, you probably don't want to click on that link!!)
• You think Senator Obama's ex-pastor is nuts? Just listen to John McCain's pastor -- he's a certifiable whack-job. He actually says, "We get off on warfare" in the video. True, yes, but still frightening to see this crazy guys' message endorsed by a former POW. That's not odd at all, McCain! Geez!
• Einstein's views on god are explained in a recently discovered letter he wrote. Interesting how the American news media hasn't covered this at all...

FLDS Children and their Brainwashed Mothers

This is video (the sync is off, so just listen, don't look at their mouths) of three of the mothers whose children were removed from their home (a.k.a. "The Ranch") and their lawyer. It saddens me so much, not only to know the abuse those kids suffered, but the blatant brainwashing these women have undergone. Their eyes are vacant, their voices meek, and their thoughts are not their own. They don't answer questions, they merely repeat over and over how they are "free" and their children are "free" and so on. It's disgusting on multiple levels. This other video reports that there is much evidence that many young girls were "spiritually married" to older men and then had children by them. There is speculation that no one is legally married to anyone so that wives and kids can be moved around, young girls are sexually available to men, and welfare checks can be received for the dozens of kids each technically single mother has. This is beyond fucked up.

Hear! Hear!

"As Barack Obama has perhaps belatedly learned, the Democrats had it right the first time: Awesome,blue-state, red-state, whatever -- keep God out of it, and the men who claim to speak for him, too."

Bored of Stupidity

I'm really surprised that I even bothered to blog about this, as one of the issues I've claimed to be really bored of is the whole creationism vs. evolution thing. Basically I, along with I think many other rational people, are just really tired of responding to people who are clearly trying to pass off religious belief as science. The Institute for Creation Research was trying to get the State of Texas to approve their master's degree in science education. Luckily, commissioners in our state have better sense than to approve something like that.

I used to have the patience to discuss this issue with people, and with the intent of being "tolerant," hold off on calling creationists "stupid." Please don't get me wrong--I am certainly not saying religion and faith are stupid, anymore than any other kind of philosophical inquiry is stupid. I feel that those are very valid pursuits for humankind, just as much as science is; and as much as one field may inspire and influence the other, most people understand that faith and the scientific method are not the same thing. Even those that dip their feet into both pools, such as myself, understand that they are two different kinds of pursuits. Including creationism in science education would be about as productive for humanity as trying to convince porpoises that they should really stop all that silly swimming around already, since they're mammals with lungs and all, so they should be on land.

I can't wait for the weekend to begin

• Michael Gray's "The Weekend" is still in heavy rotation here. It's so damned catchy! Yes, it's a Monday-wish-it-was-Friday kinda week. (I leave for a campout Friday...)
• Check out this silkscreening tutorial from no media kings.
• Stef is blogging again, hence her move from "dead and neglected blogs" to "the others." Check her out! (And we'll very slyly mention here we'd love to see a reciprocal link to HN on her site...)
• The FLDS wackiness is still playing out. The children of the group have been separated from their mothers due to the investigation into physical and sexual abuse. I feel really bad for those kids, born into that bizzaro world of sequestered life, especially all the young girls that were forced to marry much older men (WTF?!). Look, I'm all for religious freedom, okay? Wear your hair in a funny way, dress your kids like little farmers, have multiple wives/husbands, whatever---just don't abuse kids or women or animals! When your religion gets into centralized patriarchal power mode, with male power, pleasure, and dominance at the core of all things, then you've got a big mess on your hands. That shit never ends well. Hello...Davidian Branch or Jim Jones, etc, anyone?

El Bible-a-rino

Since all you HN readers are big Bible buffs (heh!) I know you'll find this BBC article on homosexuality in the Bible interesting! Case in point: Leviticus (everyone's favorite insomnia cure) says homosexuality is ooooh, bad; however, remember David and his boy, Jonathan, and their passionate "friendship"...? David tells Jon, "your love for me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women," and he ended up becoming King of Israel!

I know, I know...it just goes to show yet again, that that wacky book is chock-full-o-contradictions. You're better off trying to figure out a Lynch movie.

Daylight Savings = Nonsense

Did anyone else wake up yesterday feeling good, only to be reminded an hour had been stolen away from you? It was dark and rainy this morning, making for a miserable first day of "Spring Forward" around here. At least it's spring break and I don't have to fight students for the road or a parking place.

Other newsies:

• Dubya has just vetoed a bill that would squash such CIA tactics as waterboarding, etc. I'd like to waterboard him for all the bullshit he's put this country through over the past 7 years!
• "Modern" sins for modern Catholics.
• Mini Kitler found in shipping crate that crossed the Pacific.
• I totally want a pink van like this one!

You think McCain isn't in bed with crazy Fundies? Think again

John McCain is "in bed" with John Hagee. If you don't know about him, check this video out.

Yes, I'm tired of all the religious pandering. Aren't you?

$10 million?

Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, just gave Scientology $10 million bux. They gave her an "award". As for whether her soul is saved by Xenu or if she'll get 70 virgins in the afterlife, no one yet knows. Her bank account, however, is most definitely emptier.

Yes, Seriously.

Tom Cruise is a nutjob.