Pope Mobile charges dropped

The charges against Sydney Atheists member Ian Bryce for driving a fake pope mobile have been dropped! This is a victory for free speech, and against blind reverence of religious figures.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/27/2553526.htm
"I was setting out to inform," he said.
"The purpose of the pope-mobile was the draw the media attention and the public's attention to the false claims and the very bad actions of the Pope and the Church in coming here for World Youth Day, which I believe is in effect a latter day crusade."
Mr Bryce says he had a barrister and solicitor from the NSW Council of Civil Liberties, which he believes persuaded the police to drop the charges.
"It was against the Pope's claims to have supernatural authority, and all the harm he's doing in the world in banning condoms and trying to avoid family planning," he said.
"And now he's said that gays are an equal threat to mankind as climate change, and I can't for the life of me see what harm they're doing anyone."

Originally posted by Nathan Dunn

Intolerance leading to murder of an atheist in 2005

A man was murdered by his Fundamentalist Christian flatmate for being an atheist. His defense tried to please insanity. The murderer's family taunted and harrassed the atheists at the trial.
THE MURDER OF LARRY HOOPER 

Originally posted by Ian Woolf

Nate Phelps speaks at the American Atheists Convention 2009

Nate Phelps is the son of Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church. This is a personal story of survival, and ultimately, freedom.
If you don't know Fred Phelps or why I've used the term surviving, the man is hate personafied. Watch the below video, showing him condemning the victims of the recent Victorian brushfires.
For the tearful and uplifting story from Nate, please visit the Atheist Nexus site here http://atheistnexus.org/page/nate-phelps-2009-aa-speech . You won't regret it, it's one of the most amazing things I've ever read.
Regards,
Nathan

Here's the video of the horrible man, Fred Phelps.



Originally posted by Nathan Dunn

Critical Mass podcast #5

Critical Mass Podcast episode 5 is out!
Hosted by Dave The Happy Singer, this hilarious episode features Ian Woolf, Jason Brown and special guest Fleur Dickinson.
Topics include:

• Our enlightening visit to Hillsong Church
• Creationism in the Sydney Morning Herald
• Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen at Abbotsleigh School
• The Collect 09 Connect 09 conversion campaign
• Useful things to do with a former church.

Plus music from Dave The Happy Singer and Baby Hammer Death.

Show notes and links

Separation of church and state in Australia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Australia#Constitutional_Status

Hillsong Church:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsong

Hypnotoad:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recurring_robot_characters_from_Fut...

Hell in Matthew's gospel:
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/Mt/cr_list.html

Lot and his daughters:
http://www.thebricktestament.com/genesis/the_seduction_of_lot/gn19_30.html

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life:
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/jn/14.html#5

Collect 09:
http://www.connect09.com

Epicurus and the problem of Evil:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil#Epicurus

SydneyAnglicans.net Posting Policy:
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/help/posting_policy

Muhammad's nine-year-old bride:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad%27s_wives#Al-Hijrah

Johann Hari on the Islamic Declaration of Human Rights:
http://www.johannhari.com/archive/article.php?id=1439

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a link to Pope Awesome XII's Prostitute Races. Sorry about that.

Originally posted by Nathan Dunn

Intelligent Design slammed on ABC Unleashed by Mike Jones

www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2534368.htm
Intelligent design

Mike Jones

With the demise of the Bush Empire, I was labouring under the illusion that we had a slim chance of emerging from the latest go at recreating the Dark Ages. But I was wrong. Very wrong. We seem to be only replacing one kind of idiocy with a couple of new flavours.

So much of the recent climate change debate rests on head banging contests between those who believe in science and those who believe in whatever they want to believe in. Listen up. Can you hear the axes grinding?
Read the rest at http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2534368.htm

Unleashed presents diverse and robust opinion about politics, society, belief and behaviour.

7 April 2009, 13:30

Originally posted by Ian Woolf

Jews try to impose their beliefs on you too

Just when I was starting to think the Jews were the most sensible of the Abrahamic religions, they think it's acceptable to stop people of other faiths buying bread! Oh the horror! buying bread? God will surely smite you
See http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3691416,00.html for details
Admitadly, there is some light of reason here. Last year Judge Tamar Bar-Asher Zaban ruled that it was legal to sell bread during passover, it's only the ultra-Orthodox community's "Court of Justice" and the "Committee for Sanctity of Shabbat in Jerusalem" that are decrying the freedom to buy basic foodstuffs.
This is typical of religious thought, "YOU can't do this thing, because it infringes on MY rights". I just can't understand how they don't see that preventing someone from buying food impinges on other people's rights. 

Originally posted by Nathan Dunn