A few comments on recent news.

Re the recent article on the christian/creationist bias in home schooling textbooks:

I am struck by the unintended irony of "creationists" criticizing evolution as an unproven theory, when there is nothing more unproven than religion. Founded on "holy" books who's claim of revelatory status is supported only by their own assertion, and based on "faith," who's definition is the belief in something without evidence and despite evidence or logic to the contrary, this is circular reasoning at its most blatant.

While it would never occur to most religious people to question their beliefs, having abandoned evidence and logic, how could they ever know if they were wrong? It is one of the great swindles of religion that it defines away anything which might discredit it.

Re the movement in Uganda to invoke the death penalty for homosexuality, spurred on by visits from American Evangelicals, and the constant invoking of the word "sin" as justification, I did a Google search on "list of biblical sins," and found one site with at least 600, for most of which, death is prescribed.

I wonder why homosexuality should arouse such singular ire (actually, I don't wonder about this at all.) To paraphrase The Bard, methinks they do protest too much. Also, should they lend their support to a death penalty for all those other sins, their own ranks would likely be so decimated as to render them virtually invisible.

Generally speaking, all the violent crazies are on the self-professed side of the angels. When was the last time you read a headline that said "Fundamentalist Abortion Proponent Kills Anti-Abortion Leader," or "Fanatical Atheist Slays Priest?" And the answer is ...

And, just to make sure I haven't missed anyone on the radical or religious right to offend, here are a few more pithy observations.

Everything wrong with the human species can be summed up in two words - Sarah Palin.

Some senatorial whacko wants to put Ronald Reagan on the $50 bill - this for a man who's Alzheimers probably ante-dated his election, who was a shill for the radical right and never had an original political thought, nor initiated a single political action.

And so, gentle reader, goodnight.
- posted by Martin Eagle @ 4:32 PM