Father Awarded Millions for Funeral Protest - Associated Press

Reposted from:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-MD-Funeral-Protests.html

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The father of a fallen Marine was awarded nearly $11 million Wednesday in damages by a jury that found leaders of a fundamentalist church had invaded the family's privacy and inflicted emotional distress when they picketed the Marine's funeral.

The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned later in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress to the Marine's father, Albert Snyder of York, Pa.

Snyder sued the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified monetary damages after members staged a demonstration at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq... Read more

Colmes questions Coulter over her comments about Jews

Skip 4 minutes if you want to go to the subject

Flock Of Dodos:The Evolution - Intelligent Design Circus

This documentary by American evolutionary biologist and filmmaker Randy Olson, highlights the debate between proponents of the concept of intelligent design and the scientific establishment that supports evolution.

Dennis Kucinich 'admits' UFO encounter

Debunking Harun Yahya

by Cap'n Ordinary
Go to playlist

O'Reilly talks about Kids rights in American schools

And other silly things.

October 29, 2007

Louis Theroux: The Most Hated Family in America

Military families take 'Westboro Church' to Court

Rudy Giuliani defending sexual predator priest

God, Inc

God and Global Warming - PBS

Link to stream the full video.

info: "In August, NOW traveled with an unlikely alliance of Evangelical Christians and leading scientists to witness the breathtaking effects of global warming on Alaska's rapidly changing environment. Though many in the evangelical community feel recognition of global warming is in opposition to their mission, the week-long trip inspired new thinking on the relationship between science and religion, and on our moral responsibility to protect the planet. Travel with NOW and the expeditionary group on a breathtaking and surprising journey to find common ground between earth and sky."

Muslim Cleric claims "Cure for Aids" in Muslim text

December 12, 2007 on Al Jazeera TV - Transcript

Yemenite Sheik Abd Al-Majid Al-Zindani Talks about His "Cure" for AIDS and Says He Demands Money, Not Removal from U.S. Terror List, in Return for the Cure.

Jesus Freaks: The Story of the Children of God - Fora TV

"After twenty-five years of reporting on religion in America, journalist Don Lattin thought he'd seen it all. Yet, the San Francisco Chronicle reporter was stunned by what he found inside one of the most controversial sects he has encountered: the Children of God, aka Family International. In the tradition of Under the Banner of Heaven, Lattin's just released Jesus Freaks: The True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge is a story of revenge that left two people dead and shocked a nation." - Fora TV

Matthew Chapman at AAI 07

Dr. Michael Shermer at The Amazing Meeting

Former Hizb ut-Tahrir member talks to Reuters

Ed Husain is a 32 year old British Muslim studying for his doctorate in London. He spent 4 years as a member of the radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir 'Party of Liberation'.

Richard Dawkins Interview - Education and Science

Sam Harris: The Problem with Atheism - AAI 07

The New Atheists Interviews - AAI 07

Humanist Network News interviews Sam Harris, Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens at the AAI conference.

The God Delusion and Alister E McGrath - ABC Radio

Transcript

Dinesh D'Souza on Fox & Friends - Hitchens Debate

Eugenie Scott: Intelligent Design & YE Creationism - AAI 07

Christopher Hitchens vs. Dinesh D'Souza

'Is Christianity The Problem?'

Link

'Hell's Angel: Mother Teresa' by Christopher Hitchens

Play all videos (3)
Originally broadcast in 1994 on Channel 4; Aired again on October 23, 2007

Mother Teresa has become synonymous with saintliness, but is her reputation deserved? Christopher Hitchens investigates the Mother Teresa myth, looking at her work in Calcutta, her global campaign against abortion, her alliance with the most conservative Pope in recent memory and her apparent penchant for right-wing regimes and dictatorships.

Secularist of the Year presentation 2007

October 20, 2007
Hosted by the National Secular Society
Winner: Mina Ahadi, Head of the International Committee against executions, and a member of the German Central Council of Ex-Muslims.

Bill O'Reilly talks to a 'Christian entertainer' about Kathy Griffin

Bill Maher discusses Vatican approved "image" of John Paul II

George Carlin on 'Countdown' with Keith Olbermann

October 23, 2007

Eddie Tabash at AAI 07

What's good about religion? - Pat Condell

Bill O'Reilly and Ben Stein on Creationism

Scholar Zakir Naik on non-Muslims rights in Muslim countries

Talking about countries like Saudi Arabia, where women can't drive (so they don't mix with men), and didn't even have identity cards till 2001. Where even non-Muslims have to wear a hijab, except in the city of Mecca where they are not allowed entry. The same country that's ironically asking for more rights for Muslims in Europe!

Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Is Christianity Good for the World?
A Socratic Club Debate at the LaSells Stewart Center, Oregon State University.
October 15, 2007

Part 1


Part 2

Fox News: The Left's War on Christians

Christopher Hitchens and Tom DeLay at the Hill's Book Fair

Bill Hicks Interview

The Origin of Life made easy

Robert Spencer on the Koran - With Pat Robertson

Televangelist Pat Robertson interviews Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch, about his new book "The Truth About Mohammad"

Hod Lipson: Robots that are "self-aware"

Christopher Hitchens - AAI 07

Richard Dawkins - Designed and Designoid Objects

American Dad meets an Atheist

Paul Rothemund: Casting spells with DNA

Oral Roberts University President denies charges - Reuters

Why Democracy: Russia's Village of Fools

Alternative Title: For God, Tsar and Fatherland

New BBC 4 documentary. Part of the "Why Democracy" series.
Aired: Tuesday 9th October 2007 on BBC 4
Watch this clip if you don't feel like seeing the whole documentary

Info: "Mikhail Morozov is a Russian patriot, good Christian and successful businessman. He owns Durakovo - the “Village of Fools” - 100 km southwest of Moscow. People come here from all over Russia to learn how to live and become 'true' Russians. When they join the Village of Fools, the new residents abandon all their former rights and agree to obey Mikhail Morozov’s strict rules. “What we have here is a society that respects the vertical of power, this is what our country needs most of all," says Morozov quoting his idol President Putin. The whole spectrum of power - political, spiritual and administrative – is represented in the village and people gather for semi-private meetings with Morozov. They discuss the future of Russia, their ambitions and their goals. For God, Tsar and the Fatherland shows what drives Russian patriotism today and why these citizens are against democracy."

Mr. Deity and the Intel

Season 2, Episode 1

Debate between Christopher Hitchens and Alister McGrath

Poison or Cure? Religious Belief in the Modern World

October 11, 2007. At the Berkley Center for Religion

Hitchens FFRF talk - Part 5

Part 5 of Christopher Hitchens' FFRF Talk was added today.

Dan Dennet Award & Speech - AAI 07

Richard Dawkins receives the Deschner Prize

October 12, 2007
About Karlheinz Deschner
Giordano Bruno Foundation

Christopher Hitchens FFRF Talk

October 13, 2007
At the Freedom From Religion Foundation - 30th Annual Convention.
Not the best quality, will be posted again when a better quality video is out.

Extreme Mormons - The Movie

Young preacher talks evolution

More claims against Oral Roberts University and Roberts

Ayaan Hirsi Ali at AAI 07

Christopher Hitchens on Freethought Radio

October 6, 2007

Christopher Hitchens on NPR's Morning Edition radio

October 8, 2007

Did Jesus Die? - BBC 4

An investigation of the many stories surrounding the New Testament account of the Crucifixion. Historians and theologians reveal the latest theories about the events of 2,000 years ago.

American Atheists Update 10-12-2007

Sam Harris has responded to his critics earlier;
reposted from http://www.samharris.org/site/full_text/response-to-my-fellow-atheists/

Response to My Fellow “Atheists”

As several prominent atheists have now criticized the speech I gave at the Atheist Alliance conference in DC—without, apparently, understanding it—I thought I would take a moment to clarify the point I was making about the use of the term “atheist.”

Is it really possible that PZ Myers and Ellen Johnson think I was recommending that we stop publicly criticizing religion or that I am hiding my own atheism out of “shame and fear”? I would not have thought such a misreading was possible, given the contents of my speech and my rather incessant criticism of religion in my books, articles, and lectures.

My point, with respect to the term “atheist” (or any other), is that the use of a label invites a variety of misunderstandings that are harmful to our cause. There are many people in this country who do not believe in God and who understand that there is conflict between science and religion, but who do not feel the slightest inclination to join an atheist group or to label themselves in opposition to religion. These people are “atheists” by any measure, but you will never meet them at one of our conventions. They have read the writings of the “new atheists,” sent us letters and emails of support, are quite fond of criticizing religion whenever the opportunity arises, but they have no interest whatsoever in joining a cult of such critics. And there is something cult-like about the culture of atheism. In fact, much of the criticism I have received of my speech is so utterly lacking in content that I can only interpret it as a product of offended atheist piety.

Here is a way of separating my position from those of my fellow atheists who insist that there is power in a label. Let’s call it the “press conference test”:

Imagine President Bush announcing his veto of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research at a White House press conference. A reporter for a major television network can ask one of the following questions. Which would you choose to best strike a blow against religious ignorance in this country?

1. Mr. President, what rational basis is there to worry about the fate of three-day-old human embryos? These embryos do not have nerve cells, much less the nervous systems they would need to suffer their destruction on any level. Your veto, frankly, seems insane to any educated person, and it is painfully obvious that it was the product of religious metaphysics and superstition—not science or morality. Do you ever worry that you may be dangerously misled by your religious beliefs? What can you say to the tens of millions of Americans whose suffering will be needlessly prolonged by your faith-based thinking?

2. Mr. President, as an atheist, let me ask what rational basis is there to worry about the fate of three-day-old human embryos? These embryos don’t have nerve cells, much less the nervous systems they would need to suffer their destruction on any level. Your veto, frankly, seems insane to millions of atheists in this country, and it is painfully obvious that it was the product of religious metaphysics and superstition—not science or morality. Do you ever worry that you are failing to represent the interests of millions of atheists who also vote, or that you may be dangerously misled by your religious beliefs? What can you say to the tens of millions of Americans whose suffering will be needlessly prolonged by your faith-based thinking?

Which question would you like to see asked on the evening news? To my mind, (1) is clearly better than (2). Much better. And yet, many atheists are behaving as though they prefer (2). They seem to believe that our goal, as advocates of reason, will be best served by our using the term “atheist” without concern for its associations, thereby removing its stigma. They believe that announcing ourselves as a constituency in increasingly visible ways is the best strategy for success. Well, all I can say is that question (1) would probably have the support of 200 million Americans today. Question (2), while virtually identical in content, would likely alienate 180 million of these people. What is more, if we ever succeed in marginalizing beliefs in invisible gods and magic books, question (2) will seem utterly anachronistic.

So pick your strategy.

Ann Coulter on CNBC

"we (Christians) just want Jews to be perfected"

Andy Thomson at AAI 2007

A.J. Jacobs on Conan

Author of 'Year of Living Biblically' - October 10, 2007.

Rev Peter Popoff Exposed Again

Dispatches: Beneath The Veil

Play all videos
Aired: October 09, 2007 on Channel 4 (Originally broadcast in 2001)
Info: Documentary in which reporter Saira Shah risks her life as she goes undercover in Afghanistan to obtain footage showing the regime over which the Taliban presides. She uncovers evidence of public executions, the slaughter of civilians, and a complete absence of rights for women.

Nobel Winner Andrew Fire on Ethics, Politics, and Science

FORA.tv

Fox News Attacks Free Thought Radio

'Dirty war' priest gets life - Reuters

Oral Roberts University (Scandal grows)

Lawsuit (.pdf)

European Union says No to creationism

I don't normally post articles, but this is really good.
The Assembly debate was held on October 4th, 2007.

Reposted form The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly:
http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta07/ERES1580.htm

The dangers of creationism in education

Resolution 1580 (2007)1

1. The aim of this report is not to question or to fight a belief – the right to freedom of belief does not permit that. The aim is to warn against certain tendencies to pass off a belief as science. It is necessary to separate belief from science. It is not a matter of antagonism. Science and belief must be able to coexist. It is not a matter of opposing belief and science, but it is necessary to prevent belief from opposing science.

2. For some people the Creation, as a matter of religious belief, gives a meaning to life. Nevertheless, the Parliamentary Assembly is worried about the possible ill-effects of the spread of creationist ideas within our education systems and about the consequences for our democracies. If we are not careful, creationism could become a threat to human rights which are a key concern of the Council of Europe.

3. Creationism, born of the denial of the evolution of species through natural selection, was for a long time an almost exclusively American phenomenon. Today creationist ideas are tending to find their way into Europe and their spread is affecting quite a few Council of Europe member states.

4. The prime target of present-day creationists, most of whom are Christian or Muslim, is education. Creationists are bent on ensuring that their ideas are included in the school science syllabus. Creationism cannot, however, lay claim to being a scientific discipline.

5. Creationists question the scientific character of certain items of knowledge and argue that the theory of evolution is only one interpretation among others. They accuse scientists of not providing enough evidence to establish the theory of evolution as scientifically valid. On the contrary, they defend their own statements as scientific. None of this stands up to objective analysis.

6. We are witnessing a growth of modes of thought which challenge established knowledge about nature, evolution, our origins and our place in the universe.

7. There is a real risk of a serious confusion being introduced into our children’s minds between what has to do with convictions, beliefs, ideals of all sorts and what has to do with science. An “all things are equal” attitude may seem appealing and tolerant, but is in fact dangerous.

8. Creationism has many contradictory aspects. The “intelligent design” idea, which is the latest, more refined version of creationism, does not deny a certain degree of evolution. However, intelligent design, presented in a more subtle way, seeks to portray its approach as scientific, and therein lies the danger.

...

(Link) to the full text - 12 more points

More demands from Islam - Pat Condell

Exorcism - National Gegraphic

Interview with Richard Dawkins - Air America

October 5, 2007 on Lionel, Air America

Christian fundamentalists - Bill Hicks

Richard Dawkins - Difference Between Comforting and True

Steven Pinker: A brief history of violence

Christians United For Israel - PBS

Bill Moyers Journal reports on the politically powerful group Christians United for Israel, whose leader, Pastor John Hagee, advocates for a preemptive strike against Iran.
(Link) to watch the full video

News documentary about Atheism

Aired: October 5, 2007

Richard Dawkins - Intelligent Religious Believers

"How is it that some people are both very intelligent and extremely religious, even fundamentalist?"

Roy Moore knows nothing about evolution

News report on the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Link)
Funny FSM Hate Mail (Link)

The Protestant Revolution - Part 4: No Rest for the Wicked

Part 1 The Politics of Belief
Part 2 The Godly Family
Part 3 A Reformation of the Mind

Debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

A Message from Richard Dawkins

Support Margaret Downey if you can (By volunteering or donating) www.MargaretDowney.com

She is currently President of the Atheist Alliance and FSGP

Margaret Downey at the Amazing Meeting

Science Friction | BBC 1996

Episode 1: Creation
Watch
Episode 2: Genetics
Episode 3: Miracles
This program looks at the 'debate' between evolution and creationism, and highlights the situation in America, where a proposed Anti-Evolution Bill in Tennessee threatens to ban the teaching of evolution as fact.
Interviewees include: Tennessee Christian Coalition chairman John Hanna, creationist scientist Dr Kurt Wise, evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins, National Center for Science Education director Eugenie Scott, biologist and science historian Dr Will Provine.

Science and Reason in Islam: An Illusion of Harmony

"...Dr. Taner Edis will explore whether the Koran anticipates the modern scientific understanding of the world, the intelligent design creationist movement within Islam, and whether science is even compatible with the Muslim faith. He also shares his views about the future of Islam, especially in relation to the secular, more scientific West." Center For Inquiry

God's Business: Islam in Israel - Al Jazeera

Korn - Evolution

God in Politics - World Economic Forum

Filmed in 2004 at the 'Davos Annual Meeting' and was recently made available on YouTube

A Saudi author talks about the West

Panorama: How I Became a Muslim Extremist

Aired: Monday 1st October 2007 on BBC 1
After the 7/7 bombings, the British government vowed to silence Muslim extremists. Two years on, radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir remains legal. Shiraz Maher, a former member of Hizb, explores what needs to be done to win the hearts of Britain's angry young Muslims.

This World: Inside a Shari'ah Court

Play all videos
Aired: October 01, 2007 on BBC 2.
Documentary by award-winning filmmaker Ruhi Hamid. Some British Muslims want Shari'ah law implemented in the UK. Already practiced informally here to resolve Islamic divorce, inheritance and family disputes, it is seen by many in the West as oppressive and brutal, with punishments like stoning and amputations. Ruhi Hamid, a British Muslim, travels to Nigeria to see Shari'ah law in action, and asks whether it could work alongside the UK's existing legal system.

Ken Ham vs. "retard" at the creationist museum

Creationist Ken Ham's interview with a Buffalo Beast agent posing as a mentally challenged journalist. There is also an article about it: Let there be retards

The Goon Bible Project - Book of Job

Muslim calling for islamic law.

"if you do not rule, or judge, by what Allah has revealed (The Quran). Then you are a disbeliever"