The Hazards of Belief

Hotblack Desiato

robindch

^^^ If I was god, I'd have a hat like that too.

In other news, church rules trump state law in New York when it comes to educating teenagers about diseases that can kill them:

https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/improper-influence-nyc-public-schools-bow-to-church-rules-on-sex-ed

So teenagers have to leave the buildings, leave the site and in one case, go for a fifteen minute walk to learn about real and present dangers to their lives.

PopePalpatine

An Orthodox Jew boards a plane, and - SHOCK HORROR! - there are women on board. Here's his solution:

FouxDaFaFa

It looks like he's fashioned himself a giant condom.

I don't understand, is he not allowed to see women? Or is it something about sharing a confined space/sharing air/the risk of accidentally touching one?

How does he not suffocate in that


Ah, here is a description

We don't often see the classic Twin Peaks phrase "wrapped in plastic" taken so literally—but a Redditor posted the above photo of an Orthodox Jewish man who did just that on a recent flight. Poster "FinalSay" initially assumed the man was covering up because he was in front of women, but others pointed out that it is much more likely that the man is a "Kohen", who are holy priests (or descended from them).
Kohens are prohibited from flying over cemeteries ("A kohen initially was not supposed to approach any dead body, and if he did so he became ritually impure"), which as you can imagine, could be a major problem for travel. According to Haaretz, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, the leader of the Lithuanian Haredi community in Israel, "found a solution to this issue, ruling that wrapping oneself in thick plastic bags while the plane crossed over the cemetery is permissible."

http://gothamist.com/2013/04/11/photo_orthodox_jewish_man_covers_hi.php

Turtwig

bluewolf wrote: »

How does he not suffocate in that


Ah, here is a description

http://gothamist.com/2013/04/11/photo_orthodox_jewish_man_covers_hi.php

Plane being made from aluminium, carbon composites and plastic tubings seems to have no relevance. How does the plastic shield him from impurity?
Presumably from not suffocating he's allowing the contaminated air of the plane that has flown over the cemetery into his bag?

robindch

Jernal wrote: »

How does the plastic shield him from impurity?

Imaginary protection is 100% effective against imaginary problems.

Hotblack Desiato

Jernal wrote: »

Plane being made from aluminium, carbon composites and plastic tubings seems to have no relevance. How does the plastic shield him from impurity?

Bbuuut.. you're trying to reason with religion... never works

Gbear

I saw somewhere that it's not women he's protecting himself from but flying over a cemetary.

It doesn't make it any less bollocks I suppose.

Genghiz Cohen

robindch wrote: »

Imaginary protection is 100% effective against imaginary problems.

Atheist quote thread go!

Penn

robindch wrote: »

Imaginary protection is 100% effective against imaginary problems.

Genius

robindch

Should there be more religion in primary schools? The people who stuff theJournal's polls think so!

http://www.thejournal.ie/poll-religion-classes-primary-schools-868282-Apr2013

At the time of writing, that's 52% in favour of more time on religion.

Brian Shanahan

robindch wrote: »

Should there be more religion in primary schools? The people who stuff theJournal's polls think so!

http://www.thejournal.ie/poll-religion-classes-primary-schools-868282-Apr2013

At the time of writing, that's 52% in favour of more time on religion.

I remember talking to a former primary teacher of mine on the matter of how much time was assigned to extracurricular subjects in primary school about 4 years ago (at the time she was head of the local, rural, NS). She was really worried that only 8 1/2 hours in a week were assigned to the curriculum subjects (think English, Irish, Maths, History, Geography & Science) and the rest for non-curriculum subjects such as art, knitting and religion. She could see the point of doing most of the extra-curriculum subjects, but she was actually angry about the amount of time taken out of the school year for religious "education" despite being a catholic teacher teaching in a catholic "owned" school.

Nodin

Hundreds of British Asians will gather in Parliament Square on Tuesday to
urge MPs to introduce legal protection for those from traditionally lower-caste backgrounds.


A coalition of community groups, human rights organisations and politicians
has been campaigning for a change in the law that would make it an offence for people to discriminate on the grounds of caste.


A report on the issue commissioned by the government three years
ago estimated that there are between 50,000 and 200,000 people in
Britain who are classified as low caste. The study, by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, identified evidence of discrimination, harassment and exclusion in schools, provision of services and in the workplace.

Another survey, published in 2009 by the Anti-Caste Discrimination
Alliance, found that 58% of those questioned felt they had been
discriminated against because of their caste status, while 78% said they did not think the police would understand if they tried to report a caste-related hate crime.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/apr/15/british-asians-parliament-caste-discrimination

robindch

Turkish pianist Fazil Say given a suspended ten-month prison sentence for "insulting islam":

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22151212

BBC wrote:

World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say has been given a suspended 10-month jail sentence for insulting Muslim values.

An Istanbul court found Say guilty over a series of posts on the social networking site Twitter. Say was not in court for the sentencing. But he denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

The case renewed concern about the influence of religion on politics in Turkey. Pointing to the prosecution of several artists and intellectuals for voicing their views, critics have accused the governing AK Party of undermining Turkey's secular values and pandering to Islamists.

Prosecutors had brought the charges against Mr Say last June. He could have faced a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison. The indictment against him cited some tweets, including a retweet by Mr Say which says: "I am not sure if you have also realised it, but if there's a louse, a non-entity, a lowlife, a thief or a fool, it's always an Allah-ist."

Mr Say has previously said he was "amazed" at the charges. Mr Say, 43, has played with the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and others, and has served as a cultural ambassador for the EU.

recedite

Fazil Say has said publicly that he is an atheist. The suspended sentence means that he won't go to prison unless he "re-offends"; by saying something that could be construed as being critical of Islam within the time period. So he is now effectively muzzled, unless he stays out of Turkey for a very long time.

endacl

recedite wrote: »

Fazil Say has said publicly that he is an atheist. The suspended sentence means that he won't go to prison unless he "re-offends"; by saying something that could be construed as being critical of Islam within the time period. So he is now effectively muzzled, unless he stays out of Turkey for a very long time.

I've stayed out of Turkey for almost 40 years now. Its easy. I'm sure he'd be welcome here to say what he likes. We do have an anti-blasphemy law, but thus far have been sensible enough to ignore it.

Nodin

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican's criticism of a body that represents U.S. nuns that the Church said was tainted by "radical" feminism, dashing hopes that he might take a softer stand with the sisters.

Francis's predecessor, Benedict, decreed that the Leadership Conference of
Women Religious (LCWR), a group that represents more than 80 percent of the 57,000 Catholic nuns in the United States, must change its ways, a ruling that the Vatican said on Monday still applied.


Last year, a Vatican report said the LCWR had "serious doctrinal problems"
and promoted "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith,"
criticizing it for taking a soft line on issues such as birth control and
homosexuality.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/15/17762930-pope-francis-reiterates-radical-feminist-criticism-of-us-nuns-group#.UW6eHNtQxXs.twitter

Cork Boy

Nodin wrote: »

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/15/17762930-pope-francis-reiterates-radical-feminist-criticism-of-us-nuns-group#.UW6eHNtQxXs.twitter

"radical feminism"... whatever genius 'person*' managed to make radical = communist/evil/eat-your-children in the english language needs to suffer, badly.

*for the filter

Andrewf20

Not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one. Probably cry tbh...

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/saudi-arabia-deports-three-men-to-uae-for-being-too-irresistible-to-women-29203947.html

Obliq

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one. Probably cry tbh...

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/saudi-arabia-deports-three-men-to-uae-for-being-too-irresistible-to-women-29203947.html

I can't think WHY they didn't just make them wear a Burqa. Works for those irresistible wimminz, right? :mad:

Beruthiel

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one. Probably cry tbh...

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/saudi-arabia-deports-three-men-to-uae-for-being-too-irresistible-to-women-29203947.html

I demand pictures of men who are so hot they need to be deported from a country!

SebBerkovich

Beruthiel wrote: »

I demand pictures of men who are so hot they need to be deported from a country!

Pretty sure he was guilty of being to sexy for britain.

TheChizler

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one. Probably cry tbh...

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/saudi-arabia-deports-three-men-to-uae-for-being-too-irresistible-to-women-29203947.html

They weren't relatives of Pat Mustard by any chance?

Genghiz Cohen

I assume it was a man who decided they were too fabulous to be left alone, they needed a good manhandling.
:pac:

SebBerkovich

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one. Probably cry tbh...

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/saudi-arabia-deports-three-men-to-uae-for-being-too-irresistible-to-women-29203947.html

Mohammed Zoolander is said to be really, really, really, ridiculously - disappointed to have been deported.

PopePalpatine

SebBerkovich wrote: »

Pretty sure he was guilty of being to sexy for britain.

I swear he looks like this guy:

Beruthiel

Beruthiel wrote: »

I demand pictures of men who are so hot they need to be deported from a country!

I've decided that these are the men involved.
Careful now, lots of flesh involved.

TheChizler

Beruthiel wrote: »

I've decided that these are the men involved.
Careful now, lots of flesh involved.

Good to see the commitment to thorough research!

Sarky

I'd something something THEIR pillar of Islam.

recedite

Beruthiel wrote: »

I've decided that these are the men involved.

No, I'm afraid it was in fact Pat Mustard and his two triplet brothers.

Dades

Beruthiel wrote: »

I've decided that these are the men involved.
Careful now, lots of flesh involved.

And socks I reckon. Plenty of socks.

kylith

Beruthiel wrote: »

I've decided that these are the men involved.
Careful now, lots of flesh involved.

Oh my very goodness.

Any chance that these gentlemen could be deported to my house?

Nodin

His name is Wirathu, he calls himself the "Burmese Bin Laden" and he is a
Buddhist monk who is stoking religious hatred across Burma.

The saffron-robed 45-year-old regularly shares his hate-filled rants through
DVD and social media, in which he warns against Muslims who "target innocent young Burmese girls and rape them", and "indulge in cronyism".

To ears untrained in the Burmese language, his sermons seem steady and calm –
almost trance-like – with Wirathu rocking back and forth, eyes downcast.
Translate his softly spoken words, however, and it becomes clear how his
paranoia and fear, muddled with racist stereotypes and unfounded rumours, have helped to incite violence and spread misinformation in a nation still stumbling towards democracy.

"We are being raped in every town, being sexually harassed in every town,
being ganged up on and bullied in every town," Wirathu recently told the
Guardian, speaking from the Masoeyein monastery in Mandalay where he is
based.


"In every town, there is a crude and savage Muslim majority."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/18/buddhist-monk-spreads-hatred-burma

4% of the population are muslim....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Burma

DazMarz

On second thoughts...

TheChizler

Careful now!

Hotblack Desiato

Isn't is funny how all these religions claim to be about peace and love and tolerance and understanding, in theory but the reality never, ever matches up. It's about time buddhism got some critical analysis in the west

Nodin

ARTICLES which appear on the young people's website Spunout.ie will be vetted
more strictly by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in future following
controversy over its views on "threesomes".

Health Minister James Reilly said the site, which is partly funded by the
HSE, is reviewing the threesomes article, which was first criticised by his
colleague Michelle Mulherin TD, who said it could encourage risky behaviour.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/hse-to-monitor-youth-site-after-threesomes-article-29209204.html

Michelle Mulherin....
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/abortion-debate-single-mayo-td-michelle-mulherin-defends-fornication-remarks-26844965.html

Hotblack Desiato

Ms. Fornication :rolleyes:

Gbear

Depressing.

TheChizler

Gbear wrote: »

Depressing.

Surely that's a parody? It's a collection of statements that we would deem the most ridiculous.

MrPudding

TheChizler wrote: »

Surely that's a parody? It's a collection of statements that we would deem the most ridiculous.

Whether this particular example is a parody or not does not take away from the fact that it is highly likely that somewhere there are tests like this.

MrP

Gbear

TheChizler wrote: »

Surely that's a parody? It's a collection of statements that we would deem the most ridiculous.

It doesn't look like it, but anyone could just make one up and print it out so anythings possible.

I suppose that it seems plausible to me because it seems like a lot of fairly smart religious nuts in America have identified the problems created for them associated with education so having a kind of bullet-pointed approach to instilling their bollocks in kids makes sense.

It makes it easier for them if they know their stock rebuttals to common atheist/scientific questions and claims.

For me this is an abuse of human rights. Kids should have a right to an education. This doesn't qualify. It's worse than teaching them nothing.

PopePalpatine

Meanwhile, in the J C household...

The Black Oil

Eh...surely a parody?

I'm thinking the dinosaurs one may not be
http://www.christianbook.com/dinosaurs-genesis-the-gospel/pd/00154X?product_redirect=1&Ntt=00154X&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP






January 20, 2008

Stacy
We like these DVDs overall, but have two beefs: 1. The quality of the audio is lacking when Ken Hamm is lecturing.2. The teaching assumes that kids know and are biased towards belief in evolution. My kids, who are home schooled, believe in the biblical creation account.

August 26, 2007

Gerald Foster
Tremendous rebuttal to the evolutionary teaching that children are receiving in school, in movies and TV. Presented in a way that keeps children's interest. I highly recommend it.

Turtwig

Time for bluewolf's cookies for creationist children initiative.:D

Pherekydes

bluewolf wrote: »

January 20, 2008

Stacy
We like these DVDs overall, but have two beefs: 1. The quality of the audio is lacking when Ken Hamm is lecturing.2. The teaching assumes that kids know and are biased towards belief in evolution. My kids, who are home schooled, believe in the biblical creation account.

August 26, 2007

Gerald Foster
Tremendous rebuttal to the evolutionary teaching that children are receiving in school, in movies and TV. Presented in a way that keeps children's interest. I highly recommend it.

Please tell me you made these up. :mad:

TheChizler

Oh dear, I was holding out in the hope that these people could be given the benefit of the doubt... And as said above it's more than likely happened somewhere sometime.

Pherekydes

Pherekydes wrote: »

Please tell me you made these up. :mad:

Customer reviews of the book on the website