The Hazards of Belief

ninja900

ninja900 wrote: »

FFS :mad:

...Meanwhile back in dear old Ireland...

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2013/0103/breaking20.html



I presume that means his resolve to obey the law, pay his debts, disclose all that he knows, and plead guilty to any criminal charges if he is guilty of them? Right?

Not his resolve to continue to conceal his assets, defy the courts, and give the Irish nation the two fingers? Surely not.

If he still doesn't purge his contempt he should continue to be punished.

Fortyniner

The 'Arab spring' is not showing much sign of a new enlightenment, rather it's becoming a springboard for extremes of Islam.

After the 'authorisation for gang rape' for the 'freedom fighters' in Syria (above), we now have the repression of atheists in Egypt..

“The Egyptian people are religious by nature, and there are no atheists,” said Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the most prominent Islamic scholars, if not the most, a few days ago.

http://www.albawaba.com/news/egypt-atheism--461206

Nodin

Fortyniner wrote: »

.........
After the 'authorisation for gang rape' for the 'freedom fighters' in Syria (above), .....

Salon re-published a story Wednesday from one of our partner sites, AlterNet, with the headline “Saudi religious leader calls for gang rape of Syrian women.” The story reported that cleric Sheikh Mohammad Al-Arifi had urged Syrian fighters to satisfy their sexual urges in “short-term marriages” as a means of boosting morale in their fight against the Assad regime. AlterNet has since retracted the story, saying it was “based on a false report,” and published an explanation for how a story so flawed could be published. Salon has removed the story from our archives, and regrets running the original story.

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/cleric_gang_rape_story_debunked/
(my bold)

...as was fairly obvious, tbh.

Links234

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/01/04/us-anti-gay-evangelist-to-stand-trial-for-crimes-against-humanity/

Good!

I really hope something good comes from this. David Kato and others like him are dead because of this kind of hateful rhetoric that this man peddled.

Hotblack Desiato

Does that mean we can sue the American evangelist wnakers who helped impose Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution on us, for the deaths it has caused?

biko

Earlier this year, Boko Haram stated that it seeks "to eradicate Christians" from areas in Nigeria. The group has a penchant for targeting Christians at churches, especially on religious holidays.

Boko Haram suicide attacks in 2012 SRC
Dec. 22, 2012 - Suicide bombers attacked the offices of South Africa's MTN and India's Airtel in the city of Kano.
Nov. 25, 2012 - A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed bus into a church at a military base in Kaduna, followed by a suicide bomber in a car outside the church; the blasts killed 11 people and wounded over 30.
Oct. 28, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed jeep into a Catholic church in Kaduna, killing at least eight people and wounding over 100.
Sept. 23, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed a woman and a child in an attack at a Catholic church in Bauchi.
Aug. 15, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed three civilians in a failed attempt to target a vehicle belonging to the Joint Task Force in Maiduguri.
Aug. 5, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed five soldiers in an attack in Damaturu.
Aug. 3, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber wounded several people in a failed attack outside of a mosque in Potiskum.
July 30, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed a policeman in an attack at a government office in Sokoto.
July 13, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed five people in an attack at a mosque in Maiduguri.
June 17, 2012 - Boko Haram killed 48 people suicide attacks on churches in Kaduna and Zaria. The terror group claimed credit for the attacks, calling them a "victory against Christian Churches in Kaduna and Zaria which led to the deaths of many Christians and security operatives." Three other churches were bombed on June 17.
June 10, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed three people in an attack outside a church in Jos.
June 8, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed four people an attack outside a police station in Maiduguri.
June 3, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed 15 people an attack on a church in Bauchi.
April 30, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed 11 people and wounded more than 20 in an attack on a police convoy in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba state.
April 26, 2012 - The editor of ThisDay confirmed that a suicide bomber drove a jeep into the newspaper's office in Abuja, killing two people.
April 8, 2012 - Boko Haram killed 36 people and wounded dozens more in several bombings outside of a church in Kaduna on Easter day.
March 11, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed three civilians in a bombing outside of a church in Jos. The suicide bomber was stopped before he could enter the compound.
Feb. 26, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed six Christians during an attack at a church in Jos.
Jan. 21, 2012 - Boko Haram killed more than 140 people during a series of blasts, including a suicide bombing, and shootings in Kano. Boko Haram claimed credit for the attacks, which targeted police and immigration buildings.

"Fifty of our church members were killed in the church building where they had fled to take refuge. They were killed alongside the wife of the pastor and children" SRC

"Nigeria is truly becoming the new killing field for Christians. Hundreds of Christians have already been brutally murdered – including women and children – by the Boko Haram," said Open Doors, USA spokesman Jerry Dykst. "The Boko Haram earlier this week said that all Christians need to turn to Islam or 'they would never know peace again.' Their goal is make all of Nigeria a country run and dominated by Shariah law."

Bannasidhe

biko wrote: »

Earlier this year, Boko Haram stated that it seeks "to eradicate Christians" from areas in Nigeria. The group has a penchant for targeting Christians at churches, especially on religious holidays.

Boko Haram suicide attacks in 2012 SRC
Dec. 22, 2012 - Suicide bombers attacked the offices of South Africa's MTN and India's Airtel in the city of Kano.
Nov. 25, 2012 - A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed bus into a church at a military base in Kaduna, followed by a suicide bomber in a car outside the church; the blasts killed 11 people and wounded over 30.
Oct. 28, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed jeep into a Catholic church in Kaduna, killing at least eight people and wounding over 100.
Sept. 23, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed a woman and a child in an attack at a Catholic church in Bauchi.
Aug. 15, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed three civilians in a failed attempt to target a vehicle belonging to the Joint Task Force in Maiduguri.
Aug. 5, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed five soldiers in an attack in Damaturu.
Aug. 3, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber wounded several people in a failed attack outside of a mosque in Potiskum.
July 30, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed a policeman in an attack at a government office in Sokoto.
July 13, 2012 - A suicide bomber killed five people in an attack at a mosque in Maiduguri.
June 17, 2012 - Boko Haram killed 48 people suicide attacks on churches in Kaduna and Zaria. The terror group claimed credit for the attacks, calling them a "victory against Christian Churches in Kaduna and Zaria which led to the deaths of many Christians and security operatives." Three other churches were bombed on June 17.
June 10, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed three people in an attack outside a church in Jos.
June 8, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed four people an attack outside a police station in Maiduguri.
June 3, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed 15 people an attack on a church in Bauchi.
April 30, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed 11 people and wounded more than 20 in an attack on a police convoy in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba state.
April 26, 2012 - The editor of ThisDay confirmed that a suicide bomber drove a jeep into the newspaper's office in Abuja, killing two people.
April 8, 2012 - Boko Haram killed 36 people and wounded dozens more in several bombings outside of a church in Kaduna on Easter day.
March 11, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed three civilians in a bombing outside of a church in Jos. The suicide bomber was stopped before he could enter the compound.
Feb. 26, 2012 - A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed six Christians during an attack at a church in Jos.
Jan. 21, 2012 - Boko Haram killed more than 140 people during a series of blasts, including a suicide bombing, and shootings in Kano. Boko Haram claimed credit for the attacks, which targeted police and immigration buildings.

"Fifty of our church members were killed in the church building where they had fled to take refuge. They were killed alongside the wife of the pastor and children" SRC

"Nigeria is truly becoming the new killing field for Christians. Hundreds of Christians have already been brutally murdered – including women and children – by the Boko Haram," said Open Doors, USA spokesman Jerry Dykst. "The Boko Haram earlier this week said that all Christians need to turn to Islam or 'they would never know peace again.' Their goal is make all of Nigeria a country run and dominated by Shariah law."

Muslims killing Christians in Nigeria, Christians plotting how to 'legally' kill Gays in Uganda, Jews and Muslims killing each other in the Middle East.

Cue 'but look at all the wonderful things religion has accomplished B.S'.

krudler

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Muslims killing Christians in Nigeria, Christians plotting how to 'legally' kill Gays in Uganda, Jews and Muslims killing each other in the Middle East.

Cue 'but look at all the wonderful things religion has accomplished B.S'.

Oh but thats not religion, it's politically motivated and the churches do nice workshops and peace of mind, look over there shiny happy things and blah blah blahhhhh.

bnt

Meanwhile, in Cardiff:

A mother who beat her seven-year-old son to death for failing to learn the Qur'an by heart and then burned his body in an attempt to hide her crime has been jailed for life.

Sara Ege, 33, collapsed and had to be helped sobbing from the dock after being told on Monday she would serve 17 years before she could be considered for parole.

Cardiff crown court heard that Ege treated her son Yaseen "like a dog" when he struggled to memorise passages of the holy book of Islam. She beat him on the hands and his body until he collapsed on the floor of his bedroom and died.

( ... )

robroy1234

How could a parent do such a thing to their child? Religion is neither an excuse or a reason....This poor boy deserved to live.

robindch

Do we have a "persecution" thread?

Hospital nurses in Indiana fired in after refusing vaccines for "religious reasons":

http://news.yahoo.com/nurses-fired-refusing-flu-shot-224637902--abc-news-health.html

Yahoo News wrote:

An Indiana hospital has fired eight employees, including at least three veteran nurses, after they refused mandatory flu shots, stirring up controversy over which should come first: employee rights or patient safety. The hospital imposed mandatory vaccines, responding to rising concerns about the spread of influenza.

Ethel Hoover wore all black on her last day of work as a nurse in the critical care unit at Indiana University Health Goshen Hospital. She said she was in "mourning" because she would have been at the hospital 22 years in February, and she's only called out of work four or five times in her whole career , she said.
"This is my body. I have a right to refuse the flu vaccine," Hoover, 61, told ABCNews.com. "For 21 years, I have religiously not taken the flu vaccine, and now you're telling me that I believe in it."

More than 15,100 flu cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since Sept. 30, including 16 pediatric deaths. Indiana's flu activity level is considered high, according to the CDC, which last month announced that the flu season came a month earlier than usual.

When Hoover first heard about the mandate, she said she didn't realize officials would take it so seriously. She said she filed two medical exemptions, a religious exemption and two appeals, but they were all denied. The Dec. 15 flu shot deadline came and went. Hoover's last day of employment was Dec. 21. [...]

The hospital said in a statement that it implemented the mandate to promote patient safety based on recommendations from the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It announced the mandate in September. Of the hospital's 26,000 employees statewide, 95 percent complied. That means 1,300 employees did not comply, but only eight were fired. "IU Health's top priority is the health and wellbeing of our patients," said hospital spokeswoman Whitney Ertel. "Participation in the annual Influenza Patient Safety Program is a condition of employment with IU Health for the health and safety of the patients that we serve, and is therefore required."

The CDC recommends flu shots for everyone older than six months of age. Dr. William Schaffner, chair of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., said hospital patients are especially vulnerable to flu complications because their bodies are already weakened. "I cannot think of a reason for any health care professional to decline influenza immunization that's valid,"

[...]

Hotblack Desiato

I certainly wouldn't want to be treated by a healthcare 'professional' who thought their belief trumped infection control.

ShooterSF

Indeed. What if a surgeon suddenly decided their belief was that a deity created all beings equal and so refused to use soap?

GLaDOS

What part of her religion says not to take the flu vaccine?

Bannasidhe

ShooterSF wrote: »

Indeed. What if a surgeon suddenly decided their belief was that a deity created all beings equal and so refused to use soap?

Or an OB/GYN believed that a fetus' right to life trumped that of an existing person...

No, that's just going too far...

Newaglish

ScienceNerd wrote: »

What part of her religion says not to take the flu vaccine?

Yeah, I've never heard of that one before

seamus

Don't some religions have an issue with vaccines on the basis that they're derived from blood plasma and therefore are blood products?

GLaDOS

seamus wrote: »

Don't some religions have an issue with vaccines on the basis that they're derived from blood plasma and therefore are blood products?

JWs I suppose, but I wouldn't want one of them as my nurse anyway...

MrPudding

When she said she refused to take the vaccine "religiously" I thought she meant in the sense of consistently and without fail. Like I "religiously" watch Big Bang Theory.

Merriam-Webster wrote:

Definition of RELIGIOUS

1
: relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity <a religious person> <religious attitudes>

2
: of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances <joined a religious order>

3
a : scrupulously and conscientiously faithful
b : fervent, zealous

MrP

Hotblack Desiato

Could one read Dawkin's books religiously? :pac:

I saw that in the story, wasn't sure if she didn't know what the word meant or if the journo didn't know, or maybe the subbie who wrote the headline. Or maybe all three.

GLaDOS

It says she filed 'a religious exemption', so you would think it has to do with her actual religious beliefs.

Nodin

News Just In - God's Name Is Om

Hotblack Desiato

^ Beat ya to it in the Interesting Stuff thread

Often something could fit in more than one of the stickies (Interesting/Hazards/Scandals) and it's a bit of a toss-up which one to pick. Some things could fit in all three...

Sarky

ninja900 wrote: »

Some things could fit in all three...

Heh heh heh... Bueno.

[-0-]

You say.....God says.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/293688_10151350365725155_305715216_n.jpg

PopePalpatine

Inb4 philo says "That's out of context!"

Links234

Lawyer For Anti-Gay Alliance Found Guilty Of Making Child Porn

G.K.

Just coming on to post that. Words fail me, it's absolutely disgusting.

Gbear

Links234 wrote: »

Lawyer For Anti-Gay Alliance Found Guilty Of Making Child Porn

I'd love to see a statistical analysis of people who do sexual moralising being sex offenders. There definitely seems to be a correlation.

Bannasidhe

Just saying...

Hotblack Desiato

Ahh maybe he was just a cultural catholic... :pac:


Anyone else having trouble seeing some embedded images lately? That image wouldn't load until I replied to the post to get the image URL and then pasted it into its own tab. Happened on another thread yesterday.

Obliq

Same here, only it wouldn't load even when I did that. Maybe it's the image itself that's the problem?

Galvasean

Gbear wrote: »

I'd love to see a statistical analysis of people who do sexual moralising being sex offenders. There definitely seems to be a correlation.

I have often wondered this. The whole, "doth protest too much" angle comes to mind. That said, maybe it's just easier to notice when it's so glaringly hypocritical.

DB21

ninja900 wrote: »

Ahh maybe he was just a cultural catholic... :pac:

Well, he had a bit of a problem with the whole "Thou shalt not kill" thing.

biko

Egyptian court sentences Christian family to 15 years for converting from Islam.
Quite lenient as the proper punishment according to Sharia is death.

Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsi, who was elected to the office in June, 2012, created the new law. Under the new constitution, Christianity is limited as “religious freedom has to be understood within the boundaries of Sharia.”

http://www.inquisitr.com/484213/christian-family-sentenced-to-15-years-for-converting-from-islam/

pauldla

“religious freedom has to be understood within the boundaries of Sharia.”

Orwellian. :mad:

legspin

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http://www.ksta.de/politik/erzbistum-koeln-katholische-klinik-weist-vergewaltigte-ab,15187246,21481786.html

Poor translation but I think the jist is a woman was refused treatment at a catholic hospital in Cologne after being raped.

MrPudding

legspin wrote: »

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http://www.ksta.de/politik/erzbistum-koeln-katholische-klinik-weist-vergewaltigte-ab,15187246,21481786.html

Poor translation but I think the jist is a woman was refused treatment at a catholic hospital in Cologne after being raped.

Here it is in English, properly translated.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/catholic-church-counters-claim-its-hospitals-turned-rape-victim-away-a-878215.html

MrP

Gordon

Apparently a single prayer isn't enough for god to listen to or action, it takes a much larger number, like the 'We the People' USA government petition system.

Saw this on my Facebook timeline:

Prayers for Baylee wrote:

Baylee's new goal 30,000 prayers warriors. Make her smile and like our page. We need LOTs of prayers. She has a very rare immune disorder called nk cell deficiency. Life expectancy is unknown. there is no cure or treatment. Only GOD can heal her. Thts why we need lots of prayers.

141,633 people like this.
394,846 shares

How many prayers does it take exactly for God to heal someone these days? Also, if only god can heal her, why is she going to hospital?

FouxDaFaFa

^^

I suppose whatever gives the parents comfort in what must be a pretty horrendous time...

Makes me uncomfortable that they would plaster the child all over the internet though, especially when it's not for a practical reason like if they needed help with costs.

Fortyniner

And if the poor child does recover, it'll be broadcast everywhere as 'proof' of the value of prayer, god's love, etc., etc...

And if not, it won't be mentioned. No-one will suggest that prayers don't work, or that god's a big heartless sh1t. No mass appeal for an inquiry, no statements from the bishops, no fundie-funded protest rallies, no campaigns to get the government to ditch any affiliation with god, no 'war on sick children' themes on Fox news, no apologies from the Iona Institute or the like, no mention of the right to life of sick kids, nothing from John Waters, Ronan Mullen or any of their mates, no challenge to anyone's 'deeply held beliefs', no 'miracles', nothing. Just nothing.

And if the question is asked, someone will mutter 'mysterious ways' and skulk off.

MrPudding

Fortyniner wrote: »

And if the poor child does recover, it'll be broadcast everywhere as 'proof' of the value of prayer, god's love, etc., etc...

And if not, it won't be mentioned. No-one will suggest that prayers don't work, or that god's a big heartless sh1t. No mass appeal for an inquiry, no statements from the bishops, no fundie-funded protest rallies, no campaigns to get the government to ditch any affiliation with god, no 'war on sick children' themes on Fox news, no apologies from the Iona Institute or the like, no mention of the right to life of sick kids, nothing from John Waters, Ronan Mullen or any of their mates, no challenge to anyone's 'deeply held beliefs', no 'miracles', nothing. Just nothing.

And if the question is asked, someone will mutter 'mysterious ways' and skulk off.

Seems like a good oportunity to roll out one of my Onion favourites:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/god-answers-prayers-of-paralyzed-little-boy,475/

MrP

Nodin

According to Professor Patricia Casey, the Iona institute is neither a catholic or a christian institution. Interview excerpt and linkies here
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/01/21/is-the-iona-catholic/

Sarky

So is she lying or just very stupid?

pauldla

Sarky wrote: »

So is she lying or just very stupid?

Or somewhere in between? :pac:

robindch

Sarky wrote: »

So is she lying or just very stupid?

Are the choices exclusive?

Sarky

I must admit they aren't. I was perhaps wrongly trying to see this as a black-and-white issue, when clearly it is a very complex situation with no right answer...

robindch

Turkey's state council for science halts publication of books that support evolution:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-science-state-council-halts-publication-of-evolution-books.aspx?pageID=238&nID=39047

hurriyetdailynews wrote:

The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) has put a stop to the publication and sale of all books in its archives that support the theory of evolution, daily Radikal has reported.

The evolutionist books, previously available through TÜBİTAK's Popular Science Publications’ List, will no longer be provided by the council.

The books have long been listed as “out of stock” on TÜBİTAK's website, but their further publication is now slated to be stopped permanently.

Titles by Richard Dawkins, Alan Moorehead, Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Levontin and James Watson are all included in the list of books that will no longer be available to Turkish readers.

In early 2009, a huge uproar occurred when the cover story of a publication by TÜBİTAK was pulled, reportedly because it focused on Darwin’s theory of evolution.

The incident led to intense criticism and resulted in finger-pointing by various officials of that publication and its parent institute.

A few months later, the article in question appeared as the publication’s cover story.

TheChizler

robindch wrote: »

Turkey's state council for science halts publication of books that support evolution:

Is this sort of thing happening more and more recently, or am I just noticing more? As I was under the impression that Turkey was fairly secular, in comparison with others in that region.

FouxDaFaFa

Wasn't sure if this should go in Scandals or here.

Apparently, there's a group of young Muslim men roaming the streets of Whitechapel in London, a self-proclaimed "Muslim Patrol". Duties include general harrassment and beating the sh1t out of anyone who looks like they might be gay.

"the latest video in which a group of men described themselves as "vigilantes implementing Islam upon your own necks", a man is followed and told: "Get out of here you fag … Don't stay around here any more."