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24 Apr 2011 11:23

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World: More in Chinese Easter arrests: Many others under house arrest

  • One of the deacons returned to his home last Friday afternoon and the police came to ask him if he planned to attend the Easter Sunday service. He said yes, so the police said from this moment, you cannot leave this house. I spoke to him an hour ago, and he was still not able to leave the house.
  • Shouwang Church member Kathy Lu • Describing what happened to one of the deacons before an attempted Easter service — authorities put him under house arrest. He and hundreds of others, in fact. But what’s absolutely bizarre is that while authorities arrested much of Shouwang Church’s congregation, the nearby Haidian Christian Church — which is state-sanctioned — was able to hold a service without any problems. The split emphasizes some big differences between the two churches — since Shouwang doesn’t tow to China’s regulations, it is “undergound” — a type of church that as many as 50 million Chinese people may take part in. We realize China has an atheist government and everything, but limiting this sort of free expression arbitrarily seems silly. source

24 Apr 2011 11:06

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World: Christians in China arrested for trying to hold Easter service

  • 20+ people arrested in Beijing for holding an Easter service source
  • » The church expected this to happen: With China’s officially atheist government completely at odds with any sort of religious celebration, Shouwang Church’s senior pastor, Jin Tianming, appeared ready for retribution for his church’s decision to hold an outdoor mass on Easter. “This is our uncompromising position and a matter of faith,” he said. “If they arrest our followers, this is the price we are willing to pay.” While you guys think of cute bunnies and Easter Eggs, keep in mind that people are still fighting for their right to celebrate this holiday. (UPDATE: We just threw up another post with more context.)

19 Jan 2011 20:43

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Politics: Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley really sorry for religious comments

  • If anyone from other religions felt disenfranchised by the language, I want to say I am sorry. I am sorry if I offended anyone in any way.
  • Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley • Giving one of those non-apology apologies we kinda sorta love after he decided to throw all non-Christians under the bus in his first speech as governor. Hint: Anytime anyone says “I am sorry if I offended anyone,” it means they’re not apologizing for their stance, but for putting it in the public sphere for the dogs to pick at. Here’s a word of advice for Mr. Bentley: Like the brand of cars that shares your name, stay elegant and classy. And also, do things that make people of all cultures and walks of life – even rappers – like you. Set the standard for others to follow. Just a tip from your friendly news bloggers. source

19 Dec 2010 10:55

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Politics: Just in time for the holidays, Ricky Gervais explains his atheism

  • As an atheist, I see nothing ‘wrong’ in believing in a god. I don’t think there is a god, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that’s fine with me. It’s when belief starts infringing on other people’s rights when it worries me.
  • Ricky Gervais • In a lengthy essay he wrote for the Wall Street Journal titled “A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I’m An Atheist.” He points out that he wasn’t always this way: “I loved Jesus. He was my hero. More than pop stars. More than footballers. More than God. God was by definition omnipotent and perfect. Jesus was a man. He had to work at it.” But one day, his older brother questioned him about his religion, and then he started thinking about it, and that was that. Gervais ends the essay with a pretty simple but smart point about the whole matter: “You won’t burn in hell. But be nice anyway.” Good to know. source

20 Sep 2010 10:04

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Culture: “Christmas With a Capital C”: An anti-atheism soon-to-be classic

  • We’ve actually been wondering what Ted McGinley and Daniel Baldwin have been up to all these years. Here’s our answer – making anti-atheism Christmas films. Beyond the plot being absolutely, completely over-the-top – big-city atheist comes home to small town to ruin Christmas for hard-working small-town folk – it’s also based on a Christian rock song and will be distributed by a Christian film company. We can’t wait until TNT airs this for 24 hours straight. source

06 May 2010 10:55

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12 Feb 2010 13:01

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Offbeat: Atheist preys on God-fearing Christian pet owners

  • 22 states have atheists ready to take your precious poodle
  • $110 cost of having an atheist take care of your pet for 10 years after the rapture, which is funny
  • $15 cost for each additional pet you want to be safe after you’ve been saved by your Lord
  • 100 morons have actually taken Eternal Earth-Bound Pets up on their offer source
 

10 Feb 2010 21:51

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Offbeat: Jesus, that’s a lot of pot: Jesus photos packing a little extra

Border patrol workers found 30 pounds of pot stuffed in pictures of Our Lord. There are so many possible puns here that we don’t know which one to use. source

24 Jan 2010 20:16

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Tech: Why not? The Pope wants his priests to be bloggers for the Lord

  • The evangelicals are way ahead of you, boys. In case you were wondering if this social media thing was going to be a mere fad, a whole decade after blogging was the hip new thing, Pope Benedict XVI is ready to confirm its importance. “The world of digital communication,” he proclaimed on YouTube, “with its almost limitless expressive capacity, makes us appreciate all the more Saint Paul’s exclamation: ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.'” It gets better. The theme for his World Communications Day message in May is “New Media at the service of the Word.” Our boy Benny really gets it! Next up: condoms. source

21 Oct 2009 10:47

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World: Daily Poll: Catholics and Anglicans in a fight to the death

  • Yesterday, the Catholic Church announced a bold move to grab members from the Anglican Church, the offshoot of Catholicism created after King Henry VIII wasn’t allowed a divorce hundreds of years ago. A lot’s changed since then, most notably the Anglican church’s allowance of gay pastors and bishops, which has become a wedge issue that has many Anglicans looking elsewhere. Is this the way the Catholic party should be headed? Vote.source