Recognize these folks? You're looking at the Duck Dynasty family in 2001. ("Today" did a feature on this awhile back.) Now, while everyone's wailing about the controversy in regard to Phil Robertson's recent comments in GQ Magazine, it might behoove the adoring DD fans to look beyond this controversy to ask themselves whether they've bought hook, line and sinker into this "real life" Beverly Hillbillies story. Sure, the show has its charms. Sy makes me laugh out loud on occasion. And congrats...
Read MoreThis is a familiar sight every December.To those protesting so adamantly that we should keep the Christ in Christmas: Do you also keep the Moon in Monday (Moon's Day)? Thor in Thursday? On Halloween, do you don your Druid priest robe and summon the ghosts of the dead? Oh. Those are ancient myths, rituals and customs that no longer apply to the current acknowledgment and/or celebrations of those days? Fine. Welcome to Christmas. If you're going to keep the original meaning of the holiday, yo...
Read MoreThe headline has gained world attention: Nigerian Man Survives 3 Days at Bottom of Atlantic Of course, the story ends in rescue and praises to God, which makes sense only if you've left your reasoning powers at the bottom of the Atlantic. Let's recap. 1) A tugboat in Nigeria sinks. 2) 11 crew members drown. 3) The ship's cook finds an air pocket in the sunken vessel. 4) Rescue divers find and retrieve him 3 days later. 5) The survivor says his rescue is divine deliverance. To assert that ...
Read MoreI've been dreading this, on several levels. The problem isn't the stellar cast, the talented director, the elaborate visuals or the Resurrection-Of-The-70s-Disaster-Film premise. The problem is that, if the movie holds closely enough to the scriptural account (and that remains to be seen), we'll quite likely see the film propped up by the likes of Ken Ham, Ray Comfort, a hundred megapastors and thousands of evangelical churches. This happens every decade or so. When "The Prince of Egyp...
Read MoreDoes religion deserve ridicule? Do our irreverent memes and sacrilegious satires do more harm than good? Are we being clever, or are we too clever for our own benefit? Some recent satirical posts have drawn the ire of some TTA page members: the Jesus "lag" meme, The Story of Suzie video, etc. A few have left the page in protest. I'll address it again, and of course, you're welcome to chime in. :) It's a difficult thing, having such a love for people (religious and otherwise) and h...
Read MoreChange. It's funny. I look at my life today, and I'm awestruck at how drastically different it is from the imaginings of my youth. I thought I'd be married forever. I'm divorced and about to start a 2nd chapter with Natalie. I never wanted kids. I now have a 16-year-old soon-to-be stepdaughter who has stolen my heart. I once was a Christian broadcaster. I now host one of the most listened to atheist radio shows in the world. I used to give my devoutly-religious parents great pride. I now give...
Read MoreIt's Halloween night on the porch of a religious home, and a group of children is about to receive The Good News Of Jesus Christ on tiny booklets tossed into their sacks of treats.CHILD: "Trick or Treat!" RELIGIOUS HOMEOWNER: "Hi kids! Here's a single piece of candy and whole PAGES of pathetic religious propaganda. (By the way...nice devil costume. That'll come in handy if you wind up in Hell. G'nite!")Yes, it's once again the Season of Fear. Not the frivolous, fun spooks and sc...
Read MoreThe Freethought Movement: a diverse culture of largely good and often brave people who are putting themselves out there in the fight against the false and frequently damaging claims of superstition. So why is it so eager to divide, rather than unite? Of course, a community of people that prides itself on enlightenment and skepticism will often bring a measure of strong personality (and ego) to the table. And the blogosphere is a tempting bullhorn for anyone who might feel misunderst...
Read MoreWe simply must to do a show on tithing. I've heard this kind of thing my whole life. The church parades a person or family that had little or nothing, was in debt or financial crisis, yet stepped out in faith to give 10% they actually couldn't afford. Of course, the story ends with a blessing of some kind. "I got a bonus at work." "I got an inheritance." "I got a {ugh} tax refund." Something like that. This is not unlike casinos who post happy photographs of $10,000 slot winn...
Read MoreEveryone keeps asking me to weigh in on the mysterious "priest" story which seems to be on everyone's lips. The news site KHQA even stated that "rescue workers want to thank a higher power for coming to the rescue on Sunday morning." Here's the short version of the story: 19-year-old Katie Lenz was in a terrible head-on collision. The car was crushed, and emergency crews spent 90 minutes trying to get her out of the wreckage. An hour into the rescue effort, Katie apparently asked...
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