Dawkins: I’ve Given Up Twitter.

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Richard Dawkins. Getty Images.

Some of the professor’s most heated recent spats have unfolded on social media. He has qualified some of his Twitter remarks and lamented that medium’s lack of nuance, but embraces it nonetheless.

Or at least, he used to.

“I’ve given up Twitter,” Prof Dawkins says quietly but curtly. The tweets that appear in his name, apparently, are the work of the staff at his Foundation for Reason and Science.

“I occasionally ask them to post something, which they do, but I’ve given up doing it myself.”

It’s about time. Source.

Gambling on Anti-Transgender Policy.

Grayson County Superintendent Kelly Wilmore.

Grayson County Superintendent Kelly Wilmore.

The schools in Grayson County, Virginia have a new policy governing their bathrooms and locker rooms, and it’s the exact opposite of what the Obama administration recently recommended in its guidance on accommodating transgender students. School officials credited the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) for both drafting the policy and encouraging them to implement it, but they might someday regret trusting the conservative legal organization.

The “Student Physical Privacy Policy” ADF drafted for Grayson County’s schools is pretty straight-forward. All school bathrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms must be separated by sex, and “sex” is determined by “anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth.” It further states that “an individual’s original birth certificate” — emphasis on “original” — can be used as “definitive evidence” of a person’s sex.

If a school wants to accommodate trans students, principals must segregate those students to single-stall restrooms or “controlled use of an employee restroom, locker room, or shower.” They definitely are not allowed to use facilities that match their gender identity.

Superintendent Kelly Wilmore told the conservative outlet LifeSiteNews that his concerns have been “safety and privacy,” not politics. “It’s not that hard to claim that you’re now a transgender student,” he surmised. “All you gotta do is have a note from your parents, go and talk to the principal, and suddenly you’re transgender.”

And Wilmore has a number of reasons he isn’t worried about legal backlash. First, he believes that by segregating and ostracizing trans students, it’s actually protecting them from harassment. Second, he doesn’t think there are any transgender students in the district, so there’s no one to object. But most importantly, he’s convinced that ADF will have his back.

“The policy we adopted was written by the Alliance Defending Freedom organization,” he openly admitted, and they “claim that if we adopt their policy and it is contested,” they will come to the school district’s defense for free.

Oh, the twisted reasoning of banal evil. Segregation and ostracization is now protection. That’s terribly convenient, if you’re a bigot. This really is Civil Rights Movement II. It’s the same language, the same fucked up reasoning, the same dehumanization.

Full Story Here.

Christians, We Are At War.

(MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images)

(MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images)

Seriously suffering a melodrama overdose here. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the rhetoric keeps screeching higher and higher. Now we have Christians, we are at war. Maybe it’s time we accept that fact. It’s a very long screed, replete with bible passages, exhortations, charts, and graphs, all delivered at a fevered pitch over Christianity quavering at the cliff edge of extinction. No more of this Mr. Nice Jesus, no sir. It’s time for I’ll fry your ass and toss you burning into hell Jesus. Yep.

It’s not fun to think about, I realize, but war is not supposed to be fun. Especially not this kind of war. A war where the casualties are lost in the fires of Hell. A war where the enemy plots to rip your soul out of your chest and drag it into the darkness forever. A war that cannot be escaped. A war that conscripts every human on the planet into combat, on one side or the other, whether they like it or not. A war that we must train our children to fight. A war that could claim their souls, too, if we do not train them well. A war that will not be over until the end of the world. A war that God will ultimately win, but many human beings – maybe even including you, personally, and me – will lose if we die fighting for the wrong side.

These are not enjoyable thoughts. They are downright terrifying, in fact. But we cannot make the reality of our situation disappear any more than we could have wished away WWII by closing our eyes and hiding under our bed while the Germans dropped explosives on London. We can think all the nice thoughts and sing all the happy songs we want, but optimism never saves anyone when the bombs start falling. And it won’t save us from Hell. Indeed, it’s much more likely to send us there.

[…]

Christ came to separate us from our sin – a violent, painful process that requires a sword, and leads straight to the cross. And He doesn’t stop there. He enlists all of us to join Him in His ancient war against evil. A war that, even if it does not get us physically killed (although, depending on where you live, it may), it’s a war that will cause deep divisions and strife in our communities and even our families. There is nothing particularly peaceful about that.

The peace comes later, and only to his good and faithful soldiers. Those who will not take up their cross – that is, embrace the suffering and sacrifice required to gain holiness – will be deemed unworthy of Him in the end. Whoever finds his life and his peace and his happiness in worldly pursuits and worldly pleasures will lose it eternally. But whoever is willing to lay down his life – not a peaceful process, by any means – will be given life in Heaven.

Christ is not calling us to an earthly existence of endless fun and decadent luxury. He is calling us to die. And in the meantime, He is cordially inviting us to be despised by the whole world. “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22).

[…]

Therefore, despite my valued reader’s claims, I am not trying to “bring us back to the days of Christian holy wars.” We never left those days. I cannot “bring us back” to conditions that have already existed since the dawn of time. All I can do, all anyone can do, is acknowledge that the war is on, and then choose a side. But no matter what we choose, the holy war is happening. God and the Devil and angels and demons are fighting, right now, as we speak, and the battlefield is the heart of man, to paraphrase Dostoevsky.

And so to the first statement – that “militant Christianity” is “driving people away from the church” – I say, good. The church is by its nature a militant organization of faithful soldiers waging a never-ending assault against the powers of darkness. The more it takes on that tone and that appearance, the better. And the more we weed out the bored, insincere and feckless, the better. If a person is “driven away” because the truth scares them, let them leave. Better they join the enemy outright than stay as infiltrators in our ranks, attempting to entice more believers into their cowardly, wicked way of thinking.

[…]

There is no room anymore to try and appease and cajole and compromise with the world. The Devil has cut great, wide roads through our culture, and for decades he has encountered almost no resistance. The signs of his enormous success are all around us. I don’t need to provide examples, but here are a few anyway:

  • There’s an abortion clinic in nearly every city, murdering children and selling their parts.
  • The vast majority of women who get abortions are Christian.
  • Gay marriage is now enshrined as a “human right.”
  • A majority of American Christians reject the Bible’s teachings on sexuality and abortion.
  • A majority of American Christians can’t be bothered to go to church once a month, let alone once a week.
  • Atheism is surging.
  • Cohabitation is becoming more popular than marriage.
  • Porn is one of the most profitable industries in America, especially in the Bible Belt.
  • All of our most powerful institutions – government, media, Hollywood, academia – are propagators of far-left ideology.
  • What should be our most powerful institution, the family, is crumbling. At least 43 percent of kids in the United States live without fathers in the home.
  • Half of my generation believes women can have penises and men can have vaginas.
  • This election season.

And so on.

And so on indeed. The dramatic glurge continues here, from a self-titled professional truth sayer. Seems to me that someone in such dire need of being seen as persecuted, there are plenty of places in this world they could go where that would actually happen. It’s interesting how they never manage to do that, but they do find plenty of time to wax dramatic over how all people having basic human rights is going to affect them so terribly, oh yes, when the truth of the matter is that it won’t affect them in the least.

He choked like a dog. . . . Once a choker, always a choker.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images).

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images).

Trump continues his ‘strategy’ of mouthing off, about everyone. How anyone can take this clown seriously is beyond me. I just don’t get it.

A fresh string of attacks by Donald Trump this week on rivals in the Republican establishment — including one delivered against a prominent Latino governor in her home state — raised new doubts about his ability or desire to unite the party’s badly fractured leadership.

[…]

The intraparty skirmishing began with an attack on New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) during a campaign rally in Albuquerque, where Trump blamed her for mismanaging the state’s economy and suggested that she was shirking her responsibilities to her constituents.

[…]

Next, during a campaign event Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif., Trump rattled off a string of attacks that played like a greatest-hits collection from the raucous GOP primary. He knocked South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s decision to endorse Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), mocked former Florida governor Jeb Bush for his energy level and blasted 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as a “choker.” None of the three have endorsed him.

“Poor Mitt Romney. Poor Mitt. . . . I mean, I have a store that’s worth more money than he is,” Trump said, adding later: “He choked like a dog. . . . Once a choker, always a choker.” He also called Romney “stupid” and joked that he “walked like a penguin” on stage.

There’s much more story, and video here.

Beautiful Salt: Univers’sel

motoi yamamoto's Floating Garden.

Motoi Yamamoto’s Floating Garden. Photos courtesy of the artist.

Inside the medieval castle tower at aigues-mortes, a 13th century walled city in southern france, japanese artist motoi yamamoto has completed two monumental installations made of salt. ‘Floating garden’ and ‘labyrinth’ form part of the exhibition ‘univers’ sel‘ on from now until november 30, 2016, which celebrates creative interpretations of the natural element.

‘Floating garden’ comprises a circular form filled with a lacework of carefully-placed grains of salt. The installation is housed within the castle tower at Aigues-Mortes. In its realization, the artist sits down in a small space where no particles are laid, simultaneously moving a container of salt in a particular rhythm, a subtle movement which creates tiny cells that mimic bubble-like patterns. Each of these thin salt ribbons symbolizes pieces of memories and fragments of time. The swirling, hurricane-like pattern is used as a motif used throughout East Asia to represent life and death, resurrection, rebirth and vitality. The ephemeral artwork was realized in 45 hours over the course of five days.

motoi-yamamoto-floating-garden-and-labyrinth-salt-aigues-mortes-designboom-07

The installation ‘labyrinth’ is housed within the castle’s ramparts.

The installation ‘labyrinth’ is housed within the castle’s ramparts.

Via Designboom, where there are many more photos.

Eleven States Sue in the Name of Bigotry.

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AUSTIN, Tex. — The Obama administration on Wednesday faced its first major challenge to its directive this month about the civil rights of transgender students in public schools, as officials in 11 states filed a lawsuit that tested the federal government’s interpretation of the statute forbidding sexual discrimination.

The states, including Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Wisconsin, brought the case in a Federal District Court in North Texas and said that the Obama administration had “conspired to turn workplaces and educational settings across the country into laboratories for a massive social experiment, flouting the democratic process and running roughshod over common sense policies protecting children and basic privacy rights.”

[…]

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, repeating a pledge from the days of Texas independence, called the issue a “come-and-take-it moment.” He said that the state was prepared to vigorously defy the directive and that it would not be cowed by the administration’s pledge to withhold federal funding for non-compliance.

“He says he’s going to withhold funding if schools do not follow the policy,” Mr. Patrick told reporters. “Well, in Texas, he can keep his 30 pieces of silver. We will not yield to blackmail from the President of the United States.”

Full Story Here. UPDATE: The ACLU has weighed in on this bit of mass hysteria.

However, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that is impossible because they will lack standing in court.

“The Supreme Court has made clear that one cannot sue an agency just because they disagree with the agency’s guidance,” the ACLU said in a press release Wednesday. “If these attorneys general disagree with the agency’s interpretation of what the federal ban on sex discrimination means, they can make that argument to the court when it arises in a real case.”

Instead, the ACLU said that this is nothing more than a “political stunt” from conservative states.

James Esseks, director of the ACLU’s LGBT Project said the Texas-based lawsuit is “an attack… on transgender Americans, plain and simple.” He also believes “the real targets here are vulnerable young people and adults who simply seek to live their lives free from discrimination when they go to school, work or the restroom.”

Full Story Here.

Forever Marked with a Scarlet “C”, Oh My!

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Oh, the hysteria. The drama. The overwhelming glurge.

If they hate Jesus, they’ll hate you—and they certainly hate Jesus. I’m talking about the American Left and its unyielding war on Christianity.

And so is my good friend Matt Barber.

In his fiery new book, Hating Jesus: The American Left’s War on Christianity, Barber reveals how secular progressives are waging an unrelenting fight against Christianity in America. Perhaps more importantly, he explains how Christians can fight back.

“Just a few short decades ago, a church-going man who publicly supported the right to life, backed laws protecting marriage and spoke freely of Christ’s love for fallen man would be universally recognized as a fine and upstanding citizen,” says Barber, an associate dean with Liberty University School of Law and an attorney concentrating on constitutional law. “He would be welcomed anywhere, including at the highest levels of power. But things have changed. In today’s America, the ‘progressive’ left actively endeavors to destroy such a man.”

Well, no. Generally speaking, such fine, upstanding men of god do a fine job of destroying themselves.

[…]

With great detail, Barber explains the Modern American leftist war strategy. It starts by vilifying Christians. They then begin scheming, quite often with success, to get Christians terminated from employment and forever marked with a scarlet “C” to inhibit any future prospects for employment.

We’ve seen this over and over. [What follows is a list of known bigots losing their positions, such as Gen. Jerry Boykin, who was fired, but rehired almost immediately.]

[…]

Next, Barber says, the radical left simultaneously attacks the family and works to tear it apart, at once sending a warning shot over the bow of other Christians and pushing them to the fringes of society. The ultimate goal? Conform to their pagan demands or face incarceration.

“What’s worse is that progressivism has, like a deadly cancer, fully metastasized into what passes for the church in America,” Barber says. “There is a great falling away afoot, and apostasy reigns supreme.”

As Barber sees it, the secular left doesn’t merely have a disagreement with Christianity. He explains these are not people with whom one may reason, compromise or even disagree; they are dedicated to evil; and they demand nothing less than the abolition of the biblical worldview, and the destruction of Christ’s followers right along with it.

Holy fuck, I’m about to overdose on melodrama here. Secular and pagan are now the same thing? I’m secular, but not pagan. I have zero interest in making any theist conform to my demands, and even less interest in forming some sort of prison for those who don’t comply to whatever. That sounds more like a religious thing to do. As an atheist and a humanist, what I do want is for Christians to go about their lives as they wish, while keeping their religion the fuck out of everyone else’s lives. Simple enough. Stop trying to enforce religious law every 5 seconds, and withdraw your collective nose out of people’s genitals. Learn to mind your own damn business when it comes to private medical decisions. Realize that freedom of religion doesn’t mean Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. If you don’t like that horrible public education, send your kids to private school, or home school. Pray privately, as your own holy book tells you to do. Stop insisting on show prayer everywhere, all the time. It doesn’t impress anyone. Stop wailing over granting basic human rights to all people. No one is at your door with chaps, a whip, and the notorious Gay Agenda.

“Now is the time to fight back. If you are someone, Christian or not, who refuses to see Christianity wiped out—like it ever could be—and your children indoctrinated into pure evil, then sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option,” Barber says. “We live in dire times. But with Christ, it’s never too late to turn the tide!”

Emphasis mine. Right, so why the fucking hysteria? Why the overdose of drama? I can clue you in, Matt. It’s called loss of privilege. People get upset about that, which is perfectly normal. What you need to do is adjust, adapt. The world is moving on, whether you like it or not.

I’m believing for transforming revival that changes America from the inside out. Sure, there will always be a radical left, but when some of the proponents of a godless nation get radically saved and speak out about their passion for Jesus, the tide will begin to turn.

The devil knows his time is short. Let’s keep praying.

Oh, I’m sure that will work. Yes. Stay in your houses, and pray. 24 / 7.  Show that Lucifer.

Full Court Hysteria Here.

Jesus Tree Giving Up The Ghost.

The tree that hides Jesus in better days.

The tree that hides Jesus in better days.

The Jesus in question exposed.

The Jesus in question exposed.

SOUTH PORTLAND — The pine tree planted to hide what some call the googly-eyed Jesus may be dying.

The long, green needles of the Austrian pine, which obscures a controversial mural of Jesus Christ on the bell tower of Holy Cross Catholic Church on Cottage Road, have mysteriously turned brown in recent weeks.

[…]

“I think pollution is doing a number on it,” Roberts said Tuesday. “It’s got something going on.”

Roberts, who is a church member, said the tree also appeared to be dead a couple of years ago, but it rebounded after he applied a fertilizer and insecticide. Now, road salt and other pollution may be taking a toll once again.

“This time it may be gone,” Roberts said. “It may have to come out.”

[…]

On April 17, the Maine Sunday Telegram published a story about the tree and its strategic placement in front of the mural. At that time, the needles on the tree were green. In that story, Henchal said parishioners didn’t talk much about the mural, though the hidden Jesus is something of a legend among children who attend the parochial school next door.

At the high-traffic intersection of Broadway and Cottage Road, the enamel-on-steel mural was installed in 1980 to replace a deteriorating tile facade on the church, which was built in 1950. Titled “Spirit of the Matter: A Christian Triptych,” the mural was designed by Damariscotta artist John Janii Laberge at the direction of a church committee.

In the April story, Laberge admitted that he has often thought of cutting the tree down with a chainsaw to expose his artwork. On Monday, Laberge said he had noticed the tree’s failing condition last week when he was dog-sitting for a friend in South Portland, but he was quick to deflect any suspicion that he is responsible.

“I didn’t poison it,” Laberge volunteered. “It may not be dead. I’ve seen it that way before and it came back. It’s probably just going through its seasonal changes.”

The response to the mural has been mixed from the start, especially to the whites of the eyes, which stare woefully toward heaven in a pose suggesting medieval religious art. While some say it’s an apt representation of pain and suffering, others say it’s creepy or scary. Laberge says he delivered on the church committee’s request to depict a “powerful, working-class Christ.”

“I wanted a strong, drive-by presence,” Laberge said. “I made something bold and big that tells something about the crucifixion and what came after. I warned them that depictions of Christ are a touchy thing.”

When Laberge drives past the mural today, he questions the negative reaction.

“It’s not that bad,” Laberge said. “A person who died on the cross is not going to look pretty.”

[…]

The mural became the subject of community controversy in 2001, when church officials considered making changes to the artwork as part of building renovations. The renovations ran over budget, however, so the idea of altering the mural was dropped, church members said. Soon after, someone suggested planting a tree in front of the mural as a way to take care of the problem.

The plan seemed to be working until the tree started showing signs of stress in recent years. Whether it can be brought back from the brink a second time is unclear.

Full Story Here. So, no one suggested praying the tree back to life? I’m shocked, after all, it’s not a fig tree. After staring at that art work for what is probably too long, I think they need a much bigger tree. Much bigger.