The Hazards of Belief

Bloodwing

It's a long video but i can guarantee that within 5 minutes your head will be firmly planted on the desk. The only thing about this video that disproves evolution is that a man this stupid can exist. I don't know if i should be angry with this man or feel sorry for him.

robindch

Nurses stop for a tea-break -- a potentially fatal mistake in Pakistan during the "holy month" of a well-known "religion of peace".

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/In-Karachi,-11nurses-drink-tea-laced-with-poison-during-Ramadan-25430.html

AsiaNews wrote:

Karachi (AsiaNews) - At least 11 nurses, including three Christians, were poisoned at Civil Hospital Karachi for eating during Ramadan. During their afternoon break yesterday, the 11 nurses went to the hostel cafeteria for some tea and food. Rita, a Catholic nurse, collapsed first after drinking her tea. Now all the nurses are in the hospital's intensive care unit, some in very serious conditions.

In Pakistan, eating in public during the Muslim month of fasting is illegal. For Muslims, fasting is compulsory. However, hospital workers and travellers are exempt.

Civil Hospital Karachi staff is made up mostly of Muslims who do not tolerate that their non-Muslim colleagues eat during Ramadan.

In the wake of the incident, hospital officials have opened an inquiry to find the culprits.

The Masihi Foundation, a Christian rights organisation, and Life for All have condemned the incident, calling it a "vile act" against religious freedom and tolerance.

Political and religious leaders have also slammed the action. For Sindh Saleem Khokahr, a member of the Provincial Assembly and president of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, "poisoning someone for eating in Ramadan is a barbaric act and must be condemned. There are many Muslims who do not fast during Ramadan. These nurses were poisoned for eating in their cafeteria, not in public."

"This act reveals that our society lacks tolerance," said Fr Nasir William, a priest in Karachi diocese. It is scandalous that "nurses who save the lives of the people are fighting for their own lives due to some ignorant person."

For the clergyman, the authorities should launch an investigation for attempted murder.

Bannasidhe

robindch wrote: »

Nurses stop for a tea-break -- a potentially fatal mistake in Pakistan during the "holy month" of a well-known "religion of peace".

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/In-Karachi,-11nurses-drink-tea-laced-with-poison-during-Ramadan-25430.html

:eek:

I despair sometimes. I really do.

I am also glad that when my Muslim friends used to pop in to to visit me at work for a quick coffee during Ramadam all we had to fear was that their mother's would find out (we are talking about people in their 20s/30s who were married with kids ) and be very very cross indeed. It never occurred to us that anyone might try and kill us.

Mind - I did make the coffee myself as they were busy diving behind filing cabinets whenever the front door opened. Oh - how we laughed.....

robindch

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I am also glad that when my Muslim friends used to pop in to to visit me at work for a quick coffee during Ramadam [...]

A friend of mine who works in academia was equally facepalmed by some islamic guys in her department -- they were all surreptitious beer drinkers, but only on their own (they were even concerned about being spotted drinking beer by other beer drinkers), but even that limited beer-drinking stopped when some new islamic guy showed up who was, unfortunately, well in with the beards up in the mosque; ultimately, though, turned out that the new guy drank beer too, on his own like everybody else, but even when they found this out, the others were still too scared to go for their own occasional, solitary beers.

//...parallels with "freedom of choice" and burkas seem germane at this point...//

Penn

I remember seeing on one of those Police Camera Action shows before where a joyrider managed to outrun the policeman and got away.

Policeman said that he'd been fasting because of Ramadan and normally would probably have been able to outrun and catch the criminal, but just didn't have the energy.

Bannasidhe

robindch wrote: »

A friend of mine who works in academia was equally facepalmed by some islamic guys in her department -- they were all surreptitious beer drinkers, but only on their own (they were even concerned about being spotted drinking beer by other beer drinkers), but even that limited beer-drinking stopped when some new islamic guy showed up who was, unfortunately, well in with the beards up in the mosque; ultimately, though, turned out that the new guy drank beer too, on his own like everybody else, but even when they found this out, the others were still too scared to go for their own occasional, solitary beers.

//...parallels with "freedom of choice" and burkas seem germane at this point...//

Friend of mine was made a bacon sammich by the current Sultan of Kuwait .

Back then he was only the crown prince and mate went to the same Ivy League college as his daughter. Gang of them were using the family flat in NY to have a party but during the night, unknown to the unconscious party goers, the prince turned up unexpectedly.

Mate was woken up in the wee hours by the distinct aroma of a packet of Denny's smoked rashers grilling and simultaneously thought 'Feck - bacon in a Muslim flat, there's gonna be war/ hmmmmmm....droool....rashers......!'

Eventually the latter thought won out and she tip toed to the kitchen to find the crown prince, in his boxer shorts, making himself a lovely BLT with Irish rashers - a thing she hadn't tasted for months.

She looked at him. He looked at her. He put the two halves of the sandwich on two different plates. Handed one plate to her. Put his finger to his lips and said 'shhhhh!' then trotted off happily with the other half of the sandwich.

Not just Catholics are á la carte about their religion

b318isp

Neilos wrote: »

It's a long video but i can guarantee that within 5 minutes your head will be firmly planted on the desk. The only thing about this video that disproves evolution is that a man this stupid can exist. I don't know if i should be angry with this man or feel sorry for him.

I lasted 9 minutes. At least he is funny (as in humourous).

robindch

Police threaten a man in Lincolnshire with arrest if he distresses religious feeling by hanging a page in his window. Police deny making the threat, then make it.

http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2012/06/religious-threats-to-free-speech-in-britain-and-poland

NSS wrote:

A man in Boston, Lincolnshire has been warned by the police that if he puts up a small poster in his window that says "religions are fairy stories for adults" he could face arrest.

John Richards was told by officers that the poster could breach the Public Order Act by "distressing" passers by. But Mr Richards is defiant and says her will put up the poster anyway, as not to do so implies a threat to free speech.

He told The Boston Standard: "The police said I could be arrested if somebody complained and said they were insulted, but the sign was up two years ago and nobody responded or smashed the window. I am an atheist and I feel people are being misled by religion. I wanted to show people that if they thought they were alone there was at least one other person who thought that. I accept that the police emphasised the words could lead to an arrest but the implication is a threat to free speech which surely should be fought."

The Public Order Act dictates that it is an offence to display any sign which is threatening, abusive or insulting, and could cause distress. The NSS is currently campaigning to have the "insulting" element of this law removed.

After the story appeared and the NSS took it up, the Lincolnshire Police issued a statement saying that there was no such threat to Mr Richards. But it did admit that if a complaint was received, an officer would attend and try to persuade Mr Richards to take the poster down. If he refused – which he said he would –he would be arrested.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "The police response more or less confirms what Mr Richards is saying – if he insists on exercising free speech in the face of objections from someone who claims to be insulted or offended then he will be arrested and possibly charged.

"This is another example of the incoherence of Section 5 of the Public Order Act and a strong argument for it to be radically changed to remove this threat to free expression."

Meanwhile, in Poland a popular singer known as Doda has lost an appeal over "offending the religious feelings" of two complainants, who objected to her saying in an interview that the Bible "was written by someone who was hammered on wine and who'd been smoking herbs." She has been ordered to pay a 5000 zloty fine (1170 euro), in keeping with the original verdict.

Dorota Rabczewska (Doda's real name) had been brought to court after complaints were filed by Ryszard Nowak, chairman of the privately run Nationwide Defence Committee Against Sects, and Stanislaw Kogut, a senator for the conservative Law and Justice party.

In her original defence, the singer had claimed that she had not intended to offend anyone, and that the cited herbs "were certainly therapeutic ones" and the alcohol in question "sacramental wine."

Rabczewska has not been given leave to appeal to Poland's Supreme Court, but her lawyer is considering an extraordinary appeal toPoland's Ombudsman on Civil Rights. An appeal to European Court of Human Rights could also be pursued.

Ryszard Nowak has been involved in several high profile cases of this kind, including one against Miss Rabczewska's former boyfriend, Adam Darski, frontman of death metal band Behemoth.

Darski, known to his fans as Nergal, was taken to court for tearing up a copy of the Bible during a 2007 concert. The long-running case was ultimately dropped.

At present, the Democratic Left Alliance party is working on a draft bill that will cut the maximum penalty for insulting religious feelings from two years imprisonment to six months.

Otacon

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0802/breaking32.html

A popular Somali comedian and playwright who mocked Islamist militants for brainwashing children and killing civilians has been shot dead.

The 43-year-old TV and radio comedian Abdi Jeylani Malaq, was killed today by two young men near his Mogadishu home.

Abdi Muridi Dhere, a colleague, said Malaq’s death is heartbreaking. He said the killing has sent Mogadishu back to the “dark days.”

It's amazing how I can feel sad, angry but not one bit shocked, all at the same time.

robindch

Surprise, surprise -- US Republicans back Chicken-Fil-A's anti-gay-marriage campaign.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19087889

Meanwhile:

BBC wrote:

[...] gay marriage supporters have called for what they are dubbing "Kiss Mor Chiks" on Friday, in which they hope same-sex couples will go to Chick-fil-A shops around the country and kiss each other in public.

Links234

Nodin

robindch wrote: »

Nurses stop for a tea-break -- a potentially fatal mistake in Pakistan during the "holy month" of a well-known "religion of peace".

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/In-Karachi,-11nurses-drink-tea-laced-with-poison-during-Ramadan-25430.html

It would seem that whatever the motivation behind it, the posioning had nothing to do with not observing ramadan.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/christian-nurses-poisoned-community-demands-probe/982630/

Banbh

I was shocked to see the following heading on the Chick Fil A website: "FAQs"

What is fundamentalist American fascism coming to when the likes of this can be displayed without anybody reaching for their automatic rifle or grenade launcher?

Warning: This post may contain irony

recedite

robindch wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19087889

Meanwhile, gay marriage supporters have called for what they are dubbing "Kiss Mor Chiks" on Friday, in which they hope same-sex couples will go to Chick-fil-A shops around the country and kiss each other in public.

The same-sex couples will not be able to get in the door, with all the "traditional family values" supporters already queuing to get in.
The whole thing has been an astounding marketing success for the company.

Bannasidhe

Governor condemns Mississippi church's refusal to allow black couple to marry
Friday, August 03, 2012 - 08:22 AM

Mississippi's governor has described the refusal by a predominantly white church to allow a black couple to get married there as "unfortunate".

Phil Bryant said the state should encourage the union of any couple - as long as they were a man and a woman.

Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson say they were not allowed to marry at First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, a small town south of Jackson, last month.

The Rev Stan Weatherford, pastor of the church, married the Wilsons at a predominantly black church nearby. The wedding was moved after some congregants at First Baptist told Mr Weatherford they opposed allowing black people to marry in the church.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/world/governor-condemns-mississippi-churchs-refusal-to-allow-black-couple-to-marry-561685.html

Gotta love the mental gymnastics some people can perform. :rolleyes:

joseph brand

Vote with your feat!

The ignorance is astounding.

Links234

Utterly disgusting: http://unicornbooty.com/blog/2012/08/03/gay-man-banned-from-hospital-for-kissing-partner-goodbye/

muppeteer

http://www.aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom-womens-rights/get-tested-or-get-out-school-forces-pregnancy-tests-girls

In a Louisiana public school, female students who are suspected of being pregnant are told that they must take a pregnancy test. Under school policy, those who are pregnant or refuse to take the test are kicked out and forced to undergo home schooling.

Not explicitly a religious hazard but given the location it wouldn't be a huge leap to assume good ol' conservative Christian heritage and morals are behind such a policy.




Also if you look at the policy document they have a nice section on corporal punishment too.

coffee_cake

muppeteer wrote: »

Also if you look at the policy document they have a nice section on corporal punishment too.

:eek:

Quatermain

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/photos-evangelical-curricula-louisiana-tax-dollars

*Cries loudly.*

Sonics2k

Quatermain wrote: »

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/photos-evangelical-curricula-louisiana-tax-dollars

*Cries loudly.*

The hell is wrong with these people?

Bannasidhe

Sonics2k wrote: »

The hell is wrong with these people?

They have a point about abstract algebra - it is dang hard (and 'Muslim'....:D)

Quatermain

I can't be the only person who gets genuinely depressed and furiously angry when wealthy half-wits decide to screw around with a child's mind, filling their heads with complete falsehoods.

Nodin

Quatermain wrote: »

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/photos-evangelical-curricula-louisiana-tax-dollars

*Cries loudly.*

the stupid...its in my head now....I'm dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty....

MetalDog

fitz0

All of this is to say that I usually take a fairly blasé attitude towards the "OMG LOOK WHAT THE FUNDIES TEACH KIDS" sort of expose that pops up occasionally on the Internet. It's hard to be shocked by stuff that you long ago forgot isn't general public knowledge. You say A Beka and Bob Jones University Press are still freaked about Communism, take big detours into slavery/KKK apologetics, and claim the Depression was mostly just propaganda? Yeah, they'll do that. Oh, the Life Science textbook says humans and dinosaurs totally hung out and remains weirdly obsessed with bombardier beetles? What else is new?

Well, for me, this is new:

"Unlike the "modern math" theorists, who believe that mathematics is a creation of man and thus arbitrary and relative, A Beka Book teaches that the laws of mathematics are a creation of God and thus absolute....A Beka Book provides attractive, legible, and workable traditional mathematics texts that are not burdened with modern theories such as set theory." — ABeka.com

Wait? What?

http://boingboing.net/2012/08/07/what-do-christian-fundamentali.html#more-175190

Written by a genuine student of fundamentalist education, the whole article is worth a read.

joseph brand

Quatermain wrote: »

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/photos-evangelical-curricula-louisiana-tax-dollars

*Cries loudly.*

Truly scary stuff. Part of a plan to numb the masses mentally. People will put up will all kinds of sh1t, if they believe there is a 'paradise' waiting for the poor, the downtrodden and the meek. While the wealthy sip Cristal aboard their yachts, organising botox and boob jobs for their wives.

Religion is the best tool for controlling the masses. (Sheeple)

Comment shamelessly stolen from the above site
This is a planned epidemic with untold millions backing it.The greedy enemies of awareness are all around us. And they have the means to make us "aware" of exactly what they want us to be "aware" of.

And it's not just Louisiana, so we shouldn't try to console ourselves with the idea that it's only states where backward thinking might rule. One of NJ governor and loudmouth Christie's first moves was to "mistakenly" refuse federal funds for education. Just yesterday, in one fell swoop, he signed a bill making it harder for NJ teachers to secure tenure and easier for them to lose it. This man has scads of media support and for some reason is immensely popular. He runs tv ads daily, touting how he has "reformed" NJ policy and, it logically follows, how good his "tenure" might be for all of us. He could be our next "choice" for president. Ann Coulter just loves him.

The more ignorant they make us, the easier it is for them to succeed in telling us what to think. The "what" is always to the benefit of those who want to rule with impunity.--translated: Make the majority suffer whatever they might think is "proper" and "good" while they--and only they-- reap the benefits.
Regardless of what anyone might think of unions, we had better support teachers and a PUBLIC education system. Don't and we are doomed.

robindch

From the drawer marked WTF?! comes this one about a tattooed preacher who 'cures' cancer by kicking people in the face.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183860/Todd-Bentley-MP-calls-ban-tattooed-preacher-cures-cancer-kicking-people-face.html

Daily Fail wrote:

An evangelist who kicks followers in the face, claiming his violence will cure them of cancer, is to tour Britain this month – but his proposed visit has provoked outrage and demands that he be banned from entering the country.

Tattooed preacher Todd Bentley, who as a 15-year-old was convicted of a sex attack on a boy aged seven, claims God uses him as an instrument to heal the sick, and is urging the frail to attend his shows. The former drug user, who is Canadian but based in the United States, even laughs about his ‘healing’ techniques. In one show he treated a man claiming to be suffering from colon cancer by planting his knee hard into the victim’s stomach. The man fell to the floor in agony.

On another occasion, a man was pushed over so forcefully that he lost a tooth. Burly Mr Bentley, 36, said in one YouTube clip: ‘And I’m thinking why is the power of God not moving? And He said, “Because you haven’t kicked that woman in the face.” ‘And there is this older lady worshipping right in front of the platform and the Holy Spirit spoke to me. The gift of faith comes on me. He said, “Kick her in the face with your biker boot.” I inched closer and I went bam! And just as my boot made contact with her nose, she fell under the power of God.’

Labour MP for Croydon North Malcolm Wicks has urged Home Secretary Theresa May to ban Mr Bentley from the UK. He told her: ‘His visit can do nothing but harm and I would be grateful for any measures you can take.’ Mr Bentley launches his tour at the 400-capacity Croydon Conference Centre in South London with three shows from August 30, before visiting Liverpool, Cwmbran and Co Armagh in September.

Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester who now runs a church education charity, said: ‘I think the Home Secretary should make enquiries and see if there is any threat to public order. If the police have any indication that violence will be used against people who may be ill or vulnerable, it will be for her to decide if police should attend.’

Peter May, a prominent Christian GP who served for 25 years on the Church of England’s ruling General Synod, and has investigated spurious faith healers for more than 20 years, said: ‘I’m concerned by Todd Bentley’s methods because a physical injury on any sick person could be very serious. 'I’ve looked at the video clips on his forum and it requires significant impact for someone to lose a tooth. There may be people who are Christians who believe their health has been transformed, but I believe Todd Bentley should produce the medical evidence. I would urge people to keep away from him.’

The preacher came to prominence four years ago through his church, Fresh Fire Ministries, which launched a Christian ‘revival’ in Lakeland, Florida. The event, which attracted 400,000 people, was also on international channel God TV. Mr Bentley claims he cured viewers at home. Shanee Lemos, who is organising the UK tour, denied the preacher used violence. He said: ‘I’ve worked with Todd for a long time and I’ve never seen him kick someone.’ He added: ‘Even the terminally ill or people with a few days left to live are encouraged to come along and Todd will attempt to cure them.’

A Croydon Conference Centre spokesman would not be drawn on Mr Bentley’s methods. Mr Bentley said: ‘Kicking people in the face is not a practice of our ministry and I do not see this happening in the UK.’

Sonics2k

robindch wrote: »

From the drawer marked WTF?! comes this one about a tattooed preacher who 'cures' cancer by kicking people in the face.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183860/Todd-Bentley-MP-calls-ban-tattooed-preacher-cures-cancer-kicking-people-face.html

I'm making a follow up course for those who visit this man.

It's called the 'Get kicked in the face to stop being stupid' course.

Bannasidhe

Sonics2k wrote: »

I'm making a follow up course for those who visit this man.

It's called the 'Get kicked in the face to stop being stupid' course.

Oh if only that would work.