Monday, July 21, 2008
9 Iranians convicted of adultery set to be stoned to death
Eight women and one man convicted of adultery are set to be stoned to death in Iran, activists said Sunday. Lawyer and women's rights activist, Shadi Sadr, said the nine were convicted of adultery in separate cases in different Iranian cities.
"Their verdicts are approved, and they may be executed at any time," she told reporters.
Sadr, who has been leading a campaign in Iran against stoning deaths since 2006, said trial protocol was not applied properly in the cases. Six of the nine were convicted based solely on judges' decisions with no witnesses or the presence of their lawyers during their confessions, she said. Most of the nine come from areas of Iran that have low rates of literacy and some did not understand the cases against them, she said.
More HERE.
"Their verdicts are approved, and they may be executed at any time," she told reporters.
Sadr, who has been leading a campaign in Iran against stoning deaths since 2006, said trial protocol was not applied properly in the cases. Six of the nine were convicted based solely on judges' decisions with no witnesses or the presence of their lawyers during their confessions, she said. Most of the nine come from areas of Iran that have low rates of literacy and some did not understand the cases against them, she said.
More HERE.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
ID meets failure in Oklahoma
Daniel Dickson-LaPrade writes:
I had expected Dembski's talk to get a warm reception, and for many people to be fooled into thinking that ID was a worthwhile scientific enterprise. Instead, the the room had almost a carnival atmosphere. Dembski was heckled repeatedly for evading questions and responded to this heckling with further evasion. The audience laughed and applauded often and at length when a questioner put Dembksi on the spot. As one of our professors with the Oklahoma Biological Survey later told me, "No one could have come away thinking that it was anything but a complete disaster for Dembski."
More HERE.
I had expected Dembski's talk to get a warm reception, and for many people to be fooled into thinking that ID was a worthwhile scientific enterprise. Instead, the the room had almost a carnival atmosphere. Dembski was heckled repeatedly for evading questions and responded to this heckling with further evasion. The audience laughed and applauded often and at length when a questioner put Dembksi on the spot. As one of our professors with the Oklahoma Biological Survey later told me, "No one could have come away thinking that it was anything but a complete disaster for Dembski."
More HERE.
Xian editorialist decries the popularity of Atheism
By David Kupelian
Religion – including Christianity and Judaism – is "violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." At least that's according to the No. 1 New York Times bestseller "God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by journalist Christopher Hitchens.
Religion – including Christianity and Judaism – is "violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." At least that's according to the No. 1 New York Times bestseller "God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by journalist Christopher Hitchens.
In the news business, we often cite a nation's current top-selling books – for example, the popularity of anti-Semitic titles in Arab countries – as evidence of the mindset of the people.
Well, in the United States of America right now, some of the most-bought, most-read and most-discussed books are angry, in-your-face atheist manifestos.
More HERE.
South Carolina gov approves 'I Believe' license plates
Apparently, "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper stickers aren't enough for some motorists to proclaim their faith to the person tailgating them on the interstate. Last May, the South Carolina state legislature unanimously voted to endorse an "I Believe" license plate, bearing the image of a cross and a stained glass window. Governor Mark Sanford then allowed the bill to become law without his signature.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) was quick to file suit against the legislation, and AU executive director Rev. Barry Lynn tells CNN, "I do believe these 'I Believe' plates will not see the light of day."
More HERE.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Church lures teenagers with assault rifle giveaway
An Oklahoma church canceled plans for a gun giveaway Friday at its annual youth conference, a local news station reported. The church's youth pastor, Bob Ross, said the AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle was a means of luring young people as far away as Canada, according to Oklahoma City's KOCO Channel 5 News.
“I don’t want people thinking ‘My goodness, we’re putting a weapon in the hand of somebody that doesn’t respect it who are then going to go out and kill,'” said Ross. “That’s not at all what we’re trying to do.”
More HERE.
Coalition Urges Candidates to Restore Constitutional Protections
Thu Jul 10, 2008
A coalition of 43 religious and civil liberty groups (CARD) sent a letter to both presidential candidates today imploring them to include constitutional safeguards in any proposals regarding federal funding partnerships with religious organizations. It contains some extremely helpful background material regarding the history of the Faith-Based Initiative and the religious and legal concerns surrounding it. Some choice excerpts are in the extended entry below, but here's a taste:
"We believe that the policies pursued under the title "Faith-Based Initiative" in recent years lack the proper accountability and constitutional safeguards necessary to preserve the independence of religious organizations and protect the civil rights and religious liberty of the employees and beneficiaries of government-funded programs."
More HERE.
A coalition of 43 religious and civil liberty groups (CARD) sent a letter to both presidential candidates today imploring them to include constitutional safeguards in any proposals regarding federal funding partnerships with religious organizations. It contains some extremely helpful background material regarding the history of the Faith-Based Initiative and the religious and legal concerns surrounding it. Some choice excerpts are in the extended entry below, but here's a taste:
"We believe that the policies pursued under the title "Faith-Based Initiative" in recent years lack the proper accountability and constitutional safeguards necessary to preserve the independence of religious organizations and protect the civil rights and religious liberty of the employees and beneficiaries of government-funded programs."
More HERE.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Straight pride parade to hit New York City
A group of reggae artists, backed by their record label, will openly embrace their heterosexuality this upcoming Labor Day weekend.
"Although reggae is known for its militancy and its resistance to injustice," TCOOO Productions proclaimed, "the reggae community has remained calm throughout the attack on the music by Peter Tatchell and other Gay activists (sic) groups."
Frequent reports of kidnappings, harassment and mob beatings of gays, particularly in Jamaica, provide the backdrop for the lyrics of reggae and dancehall artists such as Beenie Man and Buju Banton, assailed by Outrage! founder Peter Tatchell as part of his Stop Murder Music campaign, which spans two decades. One example of a song that has gained notoriety in its mentions of violence against gays is Buju Banton's "Boom Bye Bye," released in the early 1990s and cited as the catalyst to the campaign's birth.
More HERE.
Christian Group Launches “Abortion President” Campaign
The fight against Barack Obama on abortion has officially begun. The Christian Defense Coalition, who are known to shock folks from time to time, have come up with a new campaign called: “Barack Obama: The Abortion President”. They are going to make clear that Obama wants taxpayers to foot the bill on abortions.More HERE.
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