Bible Slavery: Totally Different

(via NonStampCollector)

Fault Lines: Evangelism in the US Military - Al Jazeera

January 23, 2013 on Al-Jazeera English:

The United States is a deeply religious country, over 90% believe in god and 80% believe in miracles. For the US military, dealing with its own religious identity has become an internal battle.

Growing evidence points towards a rising influence of evangelical Christianity, and with two wars still raging in Muslim countries with significant religious overtones, there could be serious consequences for the US mission.

Pentagon officials say incidents are isolated, aberrations occur, but others closely tied to the military and its religious leadership say a transformation is taking place with dire costs. On this weeks episode of Fault Lines, we look at the battle over the religious soul of the US military.

Also, we sit down with Brent Scowcroft, the National Security Advisor under Presidents Ford and George H.W. Bush. He gives Fault Lines a fresh take on the issue of religion in the military and how it is impacting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Florida: Lawsuit Accuses Church of Scientology of Fraud

January 23, 2013 on Tampa Bay News:

In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Tampa, the "Church" of Scientology is accused of using fraudulent practices to coax millions of dollars from its members.

Independent Lens | The Revisionaries | Trailer | PBS

Official Website

The Revisionaries — Scott Thurman's acclaimed documentary about the controversy over the Texas state board of education's efforts to undermine the scientific and historical integrity of the textbooks used in the state's public schools — is airing on PBS<. The Revisionaries will be aired on Independent Lens, the Emmy-award-winning series on PBS airing a different original documentary film every week, starting on January 28, 2013 — but dates and times vary, so check your local listings!

Coming to Toronto on (WNED) on Feb. 3, 2013 at 11pm and on Feb. 8, 2013 at 4am. (via Larry Moran on Sandwalk)

(via RDnet, NCSE, and Sandwalk)

Hasidic Leader Gets 103 Years For Child Abuse

From Raw Story:

A leader of an Orthodox Jewish sect in New York was sentenced Tuesday to 103 years in prison for sexually abusing a young girl, capping a scandal that lifted the lid on the Hasidic group’s parallel society.

Nechemya Weberman, a prominent figure in the ultra-strict Satmar branch of Hasidic Jews, was convicted of abusing the girl over the course of three years in the Brooklyn neighborhood where their community has a huge enclave and he worked as an unlicensed counselor.

Ahead of the judge’s sentencing, the victim told the court that Weberman acted “without the slightest bit of mercy,” leaving her as “a girl who didn’t want to live in her own skin.”
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Stephen Hawking: Questioning The Universe - TED

New Health Law in Philippines Opposed by Church

January 20, 2013 on Al-Jazeera English

Major social change is underway in Philippines. A new reproductive health law is paving the way for reform, providing sex education in schools and easy access to birth control. But, although many people welcome the legislation, the roman Catholic Church remains staunchly opposed. Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas reports from Manila.

Penn Jillette's Bullshit Detector

According to atheist magician Penn Jillette, the most important thing is to feel about things you should feel about -- and think about things you should think about. You should not feel about the speed of light or evolution and you should not think about love. You should feel "I love you," you should think about reality.

The Big Questions: Is It Time For All Religions To Accept Evolution? - BBC

January 13, 2013 on BBC One

Nicky Campbell presides over a special debate recorded at the Harris Academy in Peckham, asking just one Big Question: Is it time for all religions to accept evolution as fact?

Amongst those taking part are: Matt Ridley, author of Genome; the geneticist, Professor Steve Jones; Rev Greg Haslam, senior pastor at Westminster Chapel; Dr Steve Lloyd from Biblical Creation Ministries; Inayat Bunglawala, chair of Muslims4UK; Rev Dr Malcolm Brown, director of mission and public affairs of the Church of England; Dr Robert J Asher, a paleontoloist from Cambridge University; the sociologist Professor Linda Woodhead from Lancaster University; Imam Abdullah Hasan from Neeli Mosque and Islamic Centre; Professor Steve Fuller, sociologist, Warwick University; Mohamed Ali Harrath, founder of The Islam Channel; Pastor Marjorie Esomowie, Triumphant Church International; and Adam Deen, executive director of the Deen Institute.

God Miraculously Made A Pair Of Cindy Jacobs' Shoes Last For Years

Cindy Jacobs says God provides for his children supernaturally, like how he multiplied her dinners and made a pair of her shoes last for years.

James Frey: The Final Testament of the Holy Bible

From VICE:

James Frey, controversial author of A Million Little Pieces, sits down with us for an exclusive interview about his novel The Final Testament of the Holy Bible.

The book focuses on modern-day Messiah who advocates sex with men and women, drugs, and doing whatever makes one happy. We also touch on the end of the world, the cowardly publishing industry and how Frey is bypassing it, art, and the last time he prayed.

Michio Kaku: Is God a Mathematician?

Michio Kaku says that God could be a mathematician: "The mind of God we believe is cosmic music, the music of strings resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace. That is the mind of God."

Godless - EQHD TV Canada

Part 1: The Congregation

Part 2: Spreading the Word

Godless takes a compelling look at a growing subculture with no faith or belief in a god and finds many surprising ways in which non-believers are emulating the structures and practices of organized religion: holding services, teaching non-supernatural interpretations of religious texts, proselytizing and even risking their lives for the freedom to express non-belief.

Congregating or spreading the word for a god makes some sense, but why be so active a non-believer, spreading the word of nothing? This two-part documentary explores the many motivations of the godless and asks: IS ATHEISM THE NEXT GREAT RELIGION?