Criticism of Religion

I’m mad as hell, and you know the rest

So recently I saw this video. And it made me mad. Among other things, Dennis Hastert could get away with child molestation because of the Roman Catholic Church. (Now technically, I don’t know that that’s a line of causation that we can accurately draw, but work with me here.) I dug a little deeper and… Continue reading I’m mad as hell, and you know the rest

Criticism of Religion

The religious, the secular, and the parents who don’t treat their sick children

I tried twice to write a blog post recently (in case you thought I had forgotten about you guys – I hadn’t). But in the first case, and then in the second case, I decided that I was wrong to try to make an issue of it (no, Stephen Hawking was not ascribing human or… Continue reading The religious, the secular, and the parents who don’t treat their sick children

Criticism of Religion

Is giving stuff up good for you?

I’ve been pretty public about the fact that I’m an ex-Catholic. And of all the things about the Catholic Church that I might miss, Lent is most assuredly NOT on that list. Half the time, my birthday would fall in Lent (my birthday is Feb. 14), and while my parents were as cool as possible… Continue reading Is giving stuff up good for you?

Criticism of Religion

The “true neutral” Catholic Church

Get ready for some no-holds-barred ranting (and some language). Really? Still here? Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. So I saw this article recently. Then I found this one. This is me putting on my “atheist” hat for a moment. Churches only have the power they’re given, i.e., the power they get from… Continue reading The “true neutral” Catholic Church

Criticism of Religion

“God doesn’t make mistakes”

Warning: language. Maybe you’ve seen this video. Let’s talk about it, shall we? “God doesn’t make mistakes.” I’m assuming this addresses how some view Down Syndrome and other diseases – as mistakes on God’s part. I guess that’s what you have to do if you’re a creationist – you have to say that diseases are… Continue reading “God doesn’t make mistakes”

Criticism of Religion

Drawing the line in Oregon

Happy New Year! Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written. I thought about writing a New Year post, but decided I didn’t really have anything worthwhile to say (“goody, another chance to blow New Year’s resolutions” – that’s probably what i would have said, had I written anything). And it’s not my intention to… Continue reading Drawing the line in Oregon

Criticism of Religion

State is not the only thing that needs to be separated from church

I talk a certain amount about church/state separation and the need for it. But as my title suggests, there’s more than just government that needs to be separated from religion. Which brings me to Overeaters Anonymous (I’m starting there because it’s the group I have actual experience with. If I were attending a meeting today,… Continue reading State is not the only thing that needs to be separated from church

Criticism of Religion

Robert Dear and Planned Parenthood

On November 27, Robert Dear shot up a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, killing three and wounding nine others. (I know, I’m a bit behind the times here; this was, tragically, two shootings ago.) There has been a certain amount of Internet bandwidth spent discussing the man and his motives, and I thought I was… Continue reading Robert Dear and Planned Parenthood

Criticism of Religion · Kemeticism

Leah Remini, Scientology, and the experiences that define us

When I saw the November 16 issue of People magazine on the stands at my local pharmacy, I looked at the cover and thought, “Hey, I might be able to get a blog post out of this.” Sure enough, here I am. Despite being a science fiction fan, I haven’t read any L. Ron Hubbard,… Continue reading Leah Remini, Scientology, and the experiences that define us

Criticism of Religion

Church abuses

My last post triggered a response from someone who has a much more serious grievance with the Unitarian Universalist Church than I do. Before we go any further, let’s review the primary purpose of this blog: The primary purpose (I say quite selfishly) concerns my religious and secular life. Anything else is tangential, say, church-state… Continue reading Church abuses