links adspar likes 5 (Church and State edition)

Here is the 5th installment of a recurring feature, creatively titled links adspar likes. These should keep you busy with good reading material while you're bored at work, and it makes me feel productive because most of the links are educational and/or thought-provoking.

My blog energy is being spread over a greater area these days, so I guess I'm slowing down a bit here. Man Beard Blog and Inertia Anonymous are occupying the bulk of my creative goofiness and self-loathing, respectively. My poker hiatus has limited my poker writing here and at Donk Bet, so that pretty much leaves politics and religion as the remaining focus here at See For Yourself. So, here is the Church and State edition of links adspar likes.



Non-Christians need not apply
by Robyn E. Blumner

adspar's quick summary:
The Bush administration is committed to reallocating social services funds from secular agencies to faith-based groups, including groups whose employment practices include discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs and sexual orientation.

why you should read it:
I found this article filed under Theocracy Watch over at God is for Suckers. Forget separation of church and state, this is church and state working hand in hand. The last sentence really got me: "Just another example of how, under this president, I hardly recognize my country anymore." I want to move to Antarctica.


Jesus Portrait Case to Go to Court
by Ed Brayton

adspar's quick summary:
A West Virginia local school board is fighting the ACLU in a lawsuit over a portrait of Jesus in a public high school. The locals are outraged at the ACLU trying to take away their precious Jesus, and Brayton shows how they make ridiculous arguments in support of their ridiculous position.

why you should read it:
This once again exposes how little respect the Christian community has for the establishment clause, and Brayton brilliantly demonstrates their hypocrisy by imagining how the same people would feel if the portrait was of Muhammed instead. These assholes are probably in Antarctica too, huh?


Christian Critic Blasts Talladega Nights' Anti-Christian Content
by Jenni Parker

adspar's quick summary:
Parker reports that Christian movie reviewer Ted Baehr didn't like Ricky Bobby, equating satire of in a comedy to Mel Gibson's drunken anti-Semitic rant.

why you should read it:
Baehr goes on to predict that the World Trade Center movie will overtake Ricky Bobby at the box office, and that movie will be "more meaningful and faith-affirming." Yeah, nothing like a story about a small group of terrorists killing thousands of people in the name of god to affirm my faith in god. Maybe in the movie, god comes down from heaven and cuts off the terrorists' heads before they hijack the planes. That would affirm my faith in god. Ok I'm not really going to move to Antarctica but can we send Ted Baehr there?


The moral imperative against intelligent design
by Ed Darrell

adspar's quick summary:
In response to a series of specific back and forth arguments, a Christian blogger writes why Creationist/ID arguments against evolution are dishonest.

why you should read it:
You don't need to read all the background to understand his point. Lies and deception don't help your cause. I wish more religious people were like this guy:

It's a sad day for the church when atheists are leading the way to ethical behavior, and Christians resist. We have a duty to other people to stick to the truth. We have a duty to the integrity of the church not to advocate untruth in the church'’s name. We have a duty to God to get the facts right. [his emphasis]

The Pinkoski files
by PZ Myers

adspar's quick summary:
A collection of scathing rebuttals of the astonishingly illogical creationist nonsense flowing from this Pinkoski character.

why you should read it:
Pure train-wreck value. For example, in this one Pinkoski claims that biblical Adam was 15 feet tall and that Noah was 12 feet tall, and notes that modern man is only 6 feet tall. He backs this up with:

NOTE: If you doubt this is possible, how is it there are PYGMIES + DWARFS??

Viruses of the Mind
by Richard Dawkins

adspar's quick summary:
This essay examines the spread of faith by showing how religious ideas are very much like computer viruses infecting the computers between our ears.

why you should read it:
This was written in 1991, so the ideas here aren't new, but Dawkins is brilliant as usual. It is pretty long, but if you ever stop and wonder how religious delusion is so widespread, it is worth the 30 minutes to read this.


That's all for links adspar likes 5 (Church and State edition). Links here. Preview of 6 here. If anyone actually goes through the trouble of checking the preview, they'll note that I have like 4 or 5 links I've pushed from 3 to 4 to 5 and now to 6. I should get to them some day.