1. Another Flea is Born

Comment #62426 by thebigredmachine on August 9, 2007 at 5:00 pm

If I'm Sam (which, unfortunately, I am not), I'm loving that cover, and not just for an "any publicity is good publicity" reason.

The cover does so much more discredit to the author than to Sam, because A) equating him by association with the others on the cover is inevitably going to make unfamiliar readers curious to find out who this Sam Harris character is, and B) Sam's style and mannerisms are so unassuming a likable that any reasonable person would probably deem the author a moron for equating him with Stalin.

Then again, I suppose I'm assuming reasonableness...

2. Convict sues God for broken contract

Comment #57233 by thebigredmachine on July 18, 2007 at 4:02 pm

Shuggy - for god to achieve similar Enron status, i.e., corporate personhood, he/she/it would presumably have to have shareholders, which would beg the question: Is there anyone out there dissatisfied with their salvation dividends who'd like to elect some new board members "upstairs"?

3. Convict sues God for broken contract

Comment #56869 by thebigredmachine on July 17, 2007 at 3:20 pm

"The Timisoara public prosecutor rejected the case, saying God is not a person in the eyes of the law...."

Well that part is at least refreshing, we've established god is not a person in Romania. I have a feeling that somewhere a believer is shouting that god should be a person in the eyes of the law (or perhaps that the question is moot because god IS the law?) and is merely beyond our power to sue. I'm sure the folks at Regent Law School are having fun with this one.

4. LA Church 'agrees abuse pay deal'

Comment #56390 by thebigredmachine on July 15, 2007 at 3:05 pm

The excellent documentary "Deliver Us From Evil" deals with this particular scandal. I'd recommend it to anyone interested. It's horrifying to hear what went on. Here's the IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814075/

5. 4 page German spread on The God Delusion

Comment #52168 by thebigredmachine on June 26, 2007 at 11:54 am

Just seeing the image of the plane flying peacefully over the sunlit towers was especially moving to me. I must've stared at it for a good 30 seconds or so. What a stark reminder of the way things ought to be... [*sigh*]...

6. The Present Threat of the Religious Right to Our Modern Freedoms

Comment #51844 by thebigredmachine on June 25, 2007 at 10:21 am

I may not be the first to post the link (I confess to not having read all the comments), but having just seen the video myself, I found this S. Ct. decision, which I believe was just announced today, quite disheartening...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/25/AR2007062500540.html

7. U.S. circumcision rate drops

Comment #50544 by thebigredmachine on June 18, 2007 at 5:23 pm

Perhaps that outrage might be tempered a bit when one looks at the health benefits...

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2007/s04/en/index.html

... though I do share the feelings of outrage regarding the induction of children into religious tribes without consent. It just so happens there seems to be legitimate reasons for subjecting infant males to the procedure in the absence of religion.

8. A Look at Regent University

Comment #46149 by thebigredmachine on May 30, 2007 at 11:38 am

As someone who has attended one of the US's top 20 law schools (if you consider US News and World Report a valid judge), I'm happy to say that in my experience, no one (outside of the white house, apparently) takes a degree from Regent seriously. Though I admit I don't exactly take surveys, I have in fact yet to come across a graduate. I can only imagine my reaction if some day a resume were to slide across my desk with Regent proudly emblazoned near the top. The thought of this school gaining legitimacy is truly horrifying.