Mamma mia...

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God
02/15/14 10:22 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a closer look at religious efforts to undermine biology education in public schools, including a new parental-notification proposal that would be the first in the nation.

Anti-evolution activists have pushed a variety of measures over the last several decades, hoping to either eliminate or water down science-class curricula, though nearly all of the efforts have been struck down in the courts. The efforts nevertheless persist, even now in the 21st century, with state lawmakers weighing new science restrictions in several states.

Missouri, however, is breaking new ground.

A Missouri lawmaker has proposed what ranks among the most anti-evolution legislation in recent years, which would require schools to notify parents if “the theory of evolution by natural selection” was being taught at their child’s school and give them the opportunity to opt out of the class. […]

State Rep. Rick Brattin (R), who sponsored the bill, told a local TV station last week that teaching only evolution in school was “indoctrination.”

There are no parental-notification laws on science classes anywhere in the United States. Brattin’s bill, which may actually be the first of its kind, received its first public hearing on Thursday.

The Missouri Republican added that modern biology is based “as much faith and, you know, just as much pulled out of the air as, say, any religion.”

As TPM’s report added, the bill would also require schools to “make all curriculum materials used in the district’s or school’s evolution instruction available for public inspection … prior to the use of such materials in actual instruction.”

This is, incidentally, one of two anti-evolution proposals currently pending in the state legislature.

In case it’s not already obvious, Brattin’s proposal would crush science education in Missouri, which one suspects is the point of the effort.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Alabama state lawmakers are considering a new bill that would require public school classrooms to share a daily prayer with children. Though courts would almost certainly disagree, proponents believe the measure would be constitutional because the prayer would be the same one used to start the legislative day in Congress.

* At Bob Jones University, student victims of sexual abuse have been encouraged for many years not to report the crimes, insisting that the allegations would be bad for Christianity. Two years ago, however, administrators hired a Christian consulting group to consider changes to the school’s policy, though this week, with the consultants’ investigation nearly complete, the university abruptly fired the group.

* Notre Dame’s fight against contraception isn’t going especially well: “A lawyer representing the University of Notre Dame got into a heated exchange with a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday over the federal health care law’s contraception mandate, which the Roman Catholic university claims violates its religious belief” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* An unusual story out of India drew international attention this week: “Chandre Oraon, of West Bengal, has a slew of worshippers because he reportedly was born with a tail. According to News.com.au, his followers think Oraon may be the Hindi god Hanuman, a monkey-like humanoid” (thanks to my colleague Will Femia for the heads-up).

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-96

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God
02/22/14 08:07 AM—Updated 02/22/14 08:08 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a report on a notable leader in the religious right movement – who’s also a former U.S. military leader – who believes the Second Coming will feature Jesus carrying an AR-15 assault rifle.

A little backstory is in order. William “Jerry” Boykin was the deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence for much of the Bush/Cheney era, and was even in charge of the hunt for Osama bin Laden in 2003. At the same time, however, Boykin delivered a series of speeches in churches, in uniform, in which he characterized the war in Iraq as part of an end-times scenario. Indeed, his over-the-top anti-Muslim rhetoric became a huge story throughout the Middle East a decade ago.

In 2007, Boykin was ousted after Donald Rumsfeld’s retirement, and he ended up becoming a leading official at the Family Research Council, a prominent religious right organization. Right Wing Watch’s Kyle Mantyla reported this week on a Boykin speech in which he fleshed out his unique theological perspective.

“The Lord is a warrior and in Revelation 19 it says when he comes back, he’s coming back as what? A warrior. A mighty warrior leading a mighty army, riding a white horse with a blood-stained white robe…. I believe that blood on that robe is the blood of his enemies ‘cause he’s coming back as a warrior carrying a sword.

“And I believe now – I’ve checked this out – I believe that sword he’ll be carrying when he comes back is an AR-15…. The sword today is an AR-15, so if you don’t have one, go get one. You’re supposed to have one. It’s biblical.”

Boykin added that “the whole concept” of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment “came from Jesus.”

The remarks drew more attention than Boykin is ordinarily accustomed to receiving, with reports on his speech published this week in the Huffington Post, Gawker, New York Daily News, and Wonkette, among others.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* The Pentagon has tweaked its rules on facial hair and turbans among active-duty troops to better accommodate members of the Sikh religion: “The policy change doesn’t mean Sikhs (or Muslims, for that matter) can automatically grow beards or wear turbans on duty. It simply gives their commanders the option to let them do so.”

* This doesn’t exactly seem consistent with Pope Francis’ overall message: “The 4,500-square-foot home sits on 8.2 wooded acres in the hills of Hunterdon County. With five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a three-car garage and a big outdoor pool, it’s valued at nearly $800,000, records show. But it’s not quite roomy enough for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers.”

* I often forget the Murfreesboro story isn’t over yet: “Rutherford County has spent $343,276 fighting a lawsuit brought by plaintiffs upset that the county approved construction plans for a mosque. The legal bills will increase again when county government attorneys respond to an appeal request to the U.S. Supreme Court” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* Jamie Coots, a Kentucky pastor and the star of a reality show on the National Geographic channel about snake-handling, died this week after a snake bite during one of his Pentecostal services.

* A federal judge ruled this week that the NYPD’s surveillance of New Jersey Muslims “was a lawful effort to prevent terrorism, not a civil rights violation.”

* Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) argued this week that Americans “got off track” when we “stopped realizing that God created this nation, that He wrote the Constitution.”

* And in Alabama this week, the state House debated a measure to promote the Ten Commandments. During the legislative discussion, state Rep. James Buskey (D) reportedly referred to Islam as “Muslimism.”

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-97

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God
03/01/14 09:44 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is an update on a creationist effort to build a giant version of Noah’s Ark in Kentucky, which is suddenly back on track following a very high-profile event.

Creation Museum Founder Ken Ham, who leads a creationist-focused ministry called Answers in Genesis, recently debated scientist Bill Nye on evolutionary biology. It apparently had an unintended consequence.

Creation Museum founder Ken Ham announced Thursday that a municipal bond offering has raised enough money to begin construction on the Ark Encounter project, estimated to cost about $73 million. Groundbreaking is planned for May and the ark is expected to be finished by the summer of 2016.

Ham said a high-profile evolution debate he had with “Science Guy” Bill Nye on Feb. 4 helped boost support for the project.

Nye said he was “heartbroken and sickened for the Commonwealth of Kentucky” after learning that the project would move forward. He said the ark would eventually draw more attention to the beliefs of Ham’s ministry, which preaches that the Bible’s creation story is a true account, and as a result, “voters and taxpayers in Kentucky will eventually see that this is not in their best interest.”

Also from the God Machine this week:

* A Roman Catholic middle school in Montana recently fired a teacher for getting pregnant outside of marriage. Yesterday, Faithful America, a progressive social-justice group, delivered over 20,000 petition signatures to the Catholic diocese, urging officials to reconsider.

* The religious right movement tends to focus on hot-button social issues and the culture war, but McKay Coppins reports this week that young evangelicals hope to expand the movement’s agenda to include human trafficking. Rebecca Harper, a 25-year-old associate at a Christian public relations firm, said, “I would absolutely say modern-day slavery is more important than the marriage issue.”

* The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) announced this week it would “no longer allow American Atheists to sponsor a convention booth after previously granting them permission.”

* The on-again, off-again investigation into Bob Jones University’s handling of sexual abuse complaints is apparently back on again.

* A coach for the University of Connecticut football team who’d vowed to use his position to evangelize to student athletes has agreed to resign.

* And finally, remember this one? “A U.S. appeals court ordered YouTube on Wednesday to take down an anti-Muslim film that sparked violent riots in parts of the Middle East and death threats to the actors.”

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-98

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God
03/08/14 09:37 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is an unexpected approach to evangelism: Baptist leaders who believe giving away guns will help fill the pews.

The Kentucky Baptist Convention wants to “point people to Christ” by giving away guns at Second Amendment Celebrations hosted across the state.

In the words of spokesman Chuck McAlister the strategy is “outreach to rednecks,” and 1,000 people are expected to attend the next event. To lure the nonreligious into the fold, the churches are offering a handgun, shotgun, or long gun as door prizes. Winners attend church for a photo-op with their new gun, but they must pass a background check before collecting their prize.

McAlister boasted that “unchurched men” in particular will show up because of the gun giveaways, which will in turn offer evangelism opportunities.

And it’s not just in Kentucky. The Rev. John Koletas, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in upstate New York, is raffling off an AR-15 assault rifle at an upcoming service.

“We’re honoring gun owners and hunters,” Koletas told the New York Daily News. “And we’re being a blessing and a help to people who have been attacked, viciously attacked, by socialists and anti-Christian people – the politicians and the media.”

Koletas is perhaps best known to locals as the pastor who’s been arrested seven times “on disorderly conduct charges for loud and incessant street-corner preaching.” In each instance, the charges were either dropped or dismissed.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* This probably won’t turn out well for American Atheists: “Arguments were heard Thursday in a case brought by an atheist group against placing what’s known as the World Trade Center cross in the National September 11 Museum.”

* This story out of Oklahoma sounds rather alarming: “An Edmond doctor is under fire for allegedly injecting patients across Oklahoma with a mysterious formula called the ‘Jesus shot.’ Dr. John Michael Lonergan is a former federal prison inmate who was convicted of tax evasion, mail fraud and healthcare fraud in Ohio. Lonergan is also known as ‘Dr. Mike’ ” (thanks to my colleague Nick Tuths for the tip).

* A Capitol Hill first: “The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, delivered the opening invocation in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, praying ‘to Buddha and all’ and suggesting that purity of thought will guide humanity’s actions. In his saffron robe, the Dalai Lama climbed the few steps to the Senate dais and delivered the three-line prayer, first in the Tibetan language, then in English. He chuckled over his English pronunciation.”

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-99

How's the Jesus Juice working out?

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God
03/15/14 10:00 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a curious take from a religious right radio host who has some concerns about a popular Disney movie.

For context, it’s worth noting that conservative complaints about children’s entertainment, especially movies, has been pretty common in recent years. It wasn’t too long ago, for example, that Fox News’ Eric Bolling was pretty worked up about the Muppets. Soon after, Lou Dobbs was deeply troubled by a movie about a Dr. Seuss character called The Lorax.

But this story takes these kinds of concerns to a whole new level.


Right Wing Watch posted the audio clip, and in case there’s any doubt, note that Swanson wasn’t kidding. He actually told his audience, “You wonder sometimes, I’m not a tinfoil hat conspiratorialist, but you wonder sometimes if maybe there’s something very evil happening here. If I was the Devil, what would I do to really foul up an entire social system and do something really, really, really evil to 5- and 6- and 7-year-olds in Christian families around America?”

He added, “I wonder if people are thinking: ‘You know I think this cute little movie is going to indoctrinate my 5-year-old to be a lesbian or treat homosexuality or bestiality in a light sort of way.’ I wonder if the average parent going to see Frozen is thinking that way. I wonder if they are just walking in and saying, ‘Yeah, let’s get my five-year-old and seven-year-old indoctrinated early.’ You know they’re not, I think for the most part they’re oblivious.”

As long-time readers may recall, these concerns may seem over the top, but the general area of concern is hardly unprecedented. Perhaps the quintessential example was Jerry Falwell going after Tinky Winky the Teletubby, but that merely started a lengthy, larger campaign. One conservative group went after “Shrek.” Another targeted “Shark Tale.” James Dobson launched a broadside against SpongeBob SquarePants, while Fox News’ Neil Cavuto perceived “Happy Feet” as political propaganda.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Another lawsuit waiting to happen: “Trouble is brewing down in Georgia, as state lawmakers recently approved a measure that would allow a granite Ten Commandments monument to be displayed outside the state capitol.”

* Interesting polling data: “One in five Americans say religion does not play an important role in their lives, a new NBC/WSJ journal poll shows – the highest percentage since the poll began asking participants about their focus on faith in 1997. Twenty one percent of respondents said that religion is “not that important” to their lives…. In 1997, 14 percent of Americans said religion did not play an important role in their lives.”

* The Mars Hill Church in Seattle was accused this week of paying a marketing company “at least $210,000 in 2011 and 2012 to ensure that Real Marriage, a book written by Mark Driscoll, the church’s founding pastor, and his wife Grace, made the New York Times best-seller list” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And this week, inclement weather in the nation’s capital temporarily shut down the exterior lights on the U.S. Capitol dome. A notable televangelist thinks he can explain what happened: “Television preacher Pat Robertson on Thursday explained that God had caused a brief power outage in Washington, D.C. to mock Senate Democrats who held a late-night discussion about climate change.”

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-100

Religious Right talk show host Kevin Swanson railed against the Disney film Frozen on Wednesday, accusing Disney of using the movie to turn children gay.

Swanson told cohost Steve Vaughn that Satan is using the movie “to indoctrinate my 5-year-old to be a lesbian.”

Apparently, eating too many Swanson's Frozen TV Dinners makes one gay.
Is that true?

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God
03/22/14 09:05 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is an unexpected, on-air pronouncement about one of the better known Biblical stories in the Abrahamic tradition.

As part of the network’s coverage of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Fox News’ Bill Hemmer acknowledged what many have come to believe: it may be a long while before we know with any confidence what happened to this plane. What make Hemmer’s comments noteworthy, however, was his point of historic comparison.


It’s true that it took about 73 years to find the Titanic. And it’s true Flight 370 is elusive. But it was Hemmer’s Ark assertion that clearly stood out as interesting.

Let’s put aside whether or not someone believes the Ark story is intended to be metaphorical or literal. Let’s also sidestep the question of whether it’s plausible for a small family to build a 300-cubit boat – on short notice – that held a male and a female of every species on the planet.

Let’s instead consider whether or not people actually “found” Noah’s Ark roughly 2,000 years after it allegedly survived a great flood – because that would be quite a discovery, indeed.

Though many have looked for the Ark over the centuries, Joe Coscarelli noted that Hemmer was likely referring to Evangelical Christian explorers, who claimed to have uncovered evidence of the boat’s existence. But those claims were soon debunked – and were even rejected as a hoax by Fox News.

To date, there’s no evidence Noah’s Ark ever existed, and there’s nothing to suggest it’s ever been “found.”

Also from the God Machine this week:

* No good can come of this: “The Creationist group Answers In Genesis, which was already incensed about Neil deGrasse Tyson’s revival of Cosmos, is now complaining that the show lacks scientific balance because it fails to provide airtime for evolution deniers.”

* Interesting legal dispute in Louisiana: “A Buddhist student and his family won a settlement last week against a Louisiana school district where the student’s religion was ridiculed in class as ‘stupid,’ the teacher taught that evolution is ‘impossible,’ and that the bible is ‘100 percent true.’”

* Speaking of Louisiana, a state lawmaker wants to make the Christian Bible the “official state book.” The bill to make the designation is still pending in committee (thanks to Rob Boston for the heads-up).

* I’m amazed this fight is still ongoing in Murfreesboro: “Plaintiffs opposed to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro graveyard approval seek a court order ‘to halt the construction and improvement of the cemetery’ ” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And Ralph Reed is doing his part to keep the religious right’s sense of victimhood alive, arguing this week, “I think, unfortunately, bigotry against evangelical Christians is the last acceptable form of bigotry in the country.”

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-101

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 3.29.14
03/29/14 09:14 AM—Updated 03/29/14 09:15 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at some faith-based comments from Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, who seemed to make an unfortunate comparison in a notable interview.

O’Reilly, who recently published “Killing Jesus,” spoke with the Washington Post’s Sally Quinn about his book and his perspective on spiritual matters. And while that wouldn’t ordinarily be noteworthy, towards the end of the interview, Quinn noted, “You dedicated your book to those who love their neighbors as themselves. I thought a lot of the O’Reilly haters would be surprised to see that dedication.”

The Fox host replied:


As a rule, people who compare themselves to Jesus are just asking for trouble. What’s more, prefacing the comparison by saying, “I’m not comparing myself” does not mean the comparison didn’t happen.

TPM joked in response, “Bill O’Reilly isn’t comparing himself to Jesus – oh wait, yes he is.”

Also from the God Machine this week:

* As private-school voucher programs have become more common, Stephanie Simon reports this week that the result is nearly $1 billion in taxpayer subsidies to “hundreds of religious schools that teach Earth is less than 10,000 years old, Adam and Eve strolled the garden with dinosaurs, and much of modern biology, geology and cosmology is a web of lies.” Because the schools are private institutions, there is no public accountability for their curricula, even as they’re subsidized with public funds.

* World Vision U.S., one of the nation’s largest charities, “set off an uproar” this week when it said it would hire Christians in same-sex marriages. It led to a quick backlash from “prominent evangelical leaders as a ‘disaster’ and a devil-inspired betrayal of biblical morality.”

* A new Hollywood biblical epic, Noah, opened in theaters nationwide yesterday, drawing criticism from religious groups claiming the filmmakers took liberties with the source material.

* Speaking of the entertainment world, pastor Kevin Swanson, who gained national notoriety accusing the movie Frozen of trying to turn children gay, is now arguing it and related films “are the means that children are led into witchcraft.”

* A remarkable story about a Christian elementary school in Virginia: “Sports, sneakers, and short hair; it’s what makes eight year old Sunnie Kahle unique. It’s also what had her removed from Timberlake Christian School. Her grandparents pulled the plug on her time there after they said she was no longer welcome. The family received a letter telling them that if their eight year old granddaughter didn’t follow the school’s ‘biblical standards,’ that she’d be refused enrollment next year. She’s out and in public school now” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* Pope Francis this week accepted Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst’s resignation, after the bishop of Limburg drew widespread criticism for his “extravagant spending on renovations for his personal residence.”

* In related news, Atlanta’s Roman Catholic archdiocese has sparked a similar debate after it spent over $4 million on two residences, including one for the local archbishop.

* And in Carroll County, Maryland, a federal judge instructed a local official to stop hosting Christian prayers at the start of public meetings. One county commissioner, Robin Frazier, nevertheless defied the court order and said she’s “willing to go do jail” in order to keep mixing her religious beliefs with her public duties.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-32914

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 4.5.14
04/05/14 09:27 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a bizarre story out of South Carolina that would be hard to believe if it weren’t 100% true.

Just about every state has official declarations honoring qualities that make it unique. South Carolina, for example, has an official state tree, state flower, state bird, state stone, state fish, state fruit, state dog, and even state opera.

It does not, however, have an official state fossil – an oversight eight-year-old Olivia McConnell hoped to change.

The third grader at Carolina Academy in Lake City wrote a letter to her state lawmakers – Rep. Robert Ridgeway and Sen. Kevin Johnson, both D-Clarendon – asking them to sponsor a bill to make the wooly mammoth the official state fossil.

But, first – before she could write the letter – she told herself she had to come up with three good reasons that the mammoth should be the state fossil.

“We can’t just say we need a state fossil because I like fossils,” McConnell said. “That wouldn’t make sense.”

So Olivia gave her reasons: 1. One of the first discoveries of a vertebrae fossil in North America was on an S.C. plantation when slaves dug up wooly mammoth teeth from a swamp in 1725. 2. All but seven states have an official state fossil. 3. “Fossils tell us about our past.”

The girl’s representatives liked the idea and introduced bills on her behalf. All seemed to be going well – the effort passed the state House 94 to 3 – right up until state Sen. Kevin Bryant (R) said the bill needed to be amended. As he saw it, before South Carolina could have a state fossil, the legislation must also include language from the Book of Genesis, crediting “the creator” for having created woolly mammoths and everything else.

When Bryant’s proposal was ruled out of order on procedural grounds, the Republican state lawmaker tried again, insisting that the bill describe the mammoth “as created on the Sixth Day with the beasts of the field.” Soon after, another GOP state senator, whose district includes Bob Jones University, put a hold on the legislation.

By this point, the fiasco was garnering national attention, to the annoyance of the South Carolina state Senate leadership. Towards the end of the week, an exasperated majority leader, Harvey Peeler, brought the resolution to the floor – without the “creator” reference, but with the “sixth day” reference.

It passed unanimously.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Following up on a story from last week, Wilton Gregory, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta, apologized on Monday for his previous plan to build a new $2.2 million home for himself.

* With Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signing a new “religious liberty” into law this week, it seems few cheered louder than the Mississippi Baptist Convention (thanks to my colleague Laura Conaway for the tip).

* A provocative new faith-based film opened domestically two weeks ago called, “God’s Not Dead,” about a Christian college student challenging an atheist philosopher professor (thanks to my colleague Kent Jones for the heads-up). It’s causing a stir in evangelical circles.

* A fascinating report from National Public Radio: “Televangelists have a choice when they deal with the IRS. Some … register as religious organizations. They’re exempt from most taxes but still must file disclosure reports showing how they make and spend their money. Daystar and dozens of others call themselves churches, which enjoy the greatest protection and privacy of all nonprofit organizations in America. Churches avoid not only taxes, but any requirement to disclose their finances. And, as NPR has learned, for the past five years churches have avoided virtually any scrutiny whatsoever from the federal government’s tax authority” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And TV preacher Pat Robertson this week interviewed far-right rabbi Daniel Lapin, and introduced his guest by asking: “What is it about Jewish people that make them prosper financially? You almost never find Jews tinkering with their cars on the weekends or mowing their lawns. That’s what Daniel Lapin says and there’s a very good reason for that, and it lies within the business secrets of the Bible.” Robertson added that Jews are “polishing diamonds, not fixing cars.”


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-4514

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 4.12.14
04/12/14 09:04 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is an unexpected controversy involving a group of folks who believe in something called “geocentrism.”

For the last several centuries, people have generally understood that the Earth orbits our sun, along with several other planets that make up a solar system. This, in turn, is part of a larger galaxy, which is part of a vast universe with lots of galaxies. It’s known as the heliocentric model.

But there’s a group of religious activists for whom this doesn’t sit well – they believe the Bible puts the Earth as the center of the universe and argue that our sun orbits us. It is, to be sure, a small, fringe group of folks, but my friend Rob Boston reported this week that the “geocentrists” are making a movie, which caused a larger-than-expected stir this week.


By all appearances, the film is a pretty slick production, narrated by Kate Mulgrew (yes, Captain Janeway from “Star Trek: Voyager”). It wasn’t long before lots of confused people started asking why notable figures from the worlds of science and entertainment would want anything to do with this fringe “documentary.”

The answer, it turns out, is that they didn’t do so knowingly. Krauss, for example, wrote a Slate piece this week explaining, “I have no recollection of being interviewed for such a film, and of course had I known of its premise I would have refused. So, either the producers used clips of me that were in the public domain, or they bought them from other production companies that I may have given some rights to distribute my interviews to, or they may have interviewed me under false pretenses, in which case I probably signed some release. I simply don’t know.”

Several other actual scientists featured in the film soon followed, saying they had been misled into participating in the project. For her part, Mulgrew this week issued a statement through Facebook, forcefully rejecting geocentrism and explaining that she’d been “misinformed” about the true nature of the film. The actor added that she “would most certainly have avoided” the project if she knew the truth about the filmmakers’ intended agenda.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Pastor Bob Coy, pastor of a Fort Lauderdale mega-church called Calvary Chapel, resigned unexpectedly this week, citing a “moral failing in his life.” The mega-church leader did not elaborate.

* Pope Francis delivered off-the-cuff remarks yesterday, asking forgiveness for victims of the church’s sexual abuses. “The church is aware of this damage,” he was quoted as saying by Vatican Radio. “We don’t want to take a step back in dealing with this problem and the sanctions that must be imposed. On the contrary, I think we must be even stronger! You don’t play around with the lives of children.”

* The Republican National Committee is in the process of choosing the location of its 2016 convention, and by all accounts, Las Vegas is considered the frontrunner. A group of leaders from the religious right movement wrote this week to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, urging him to choose a different location. The leaders, including the representatives from the American Family Association, Eagle Forum, and the Traditional Values Coalition, described the Nevada city as a “trap waiting to ensnare.”

* And sometimes, the jokes write themselves: “The Vue Cinema in the English city Exeter confirmed to the newspaper Exeter Express & Echo that its first showing of Noah on opening day April 4 had to be canceled because ‘there was flooding’ due to ‘a fault with an ice machine’ ” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-41214

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 4.19.14
04/19/14 09:12 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is an interesting faith-based dispute involving Hobby Lobby’s corporate owner – but it’s probably not the dispute you’ve already heard about.

Hobby Lobby, an arts-and-crafts chain owned by Christian conservative Steve Green, is perhaps best known in political and legal circles for its pending Supreme Court case in which Green’s attorneys believe corporations are people with their own religious beliefs. It’s this corporate spirituality, the argument goes, that entitles Hobby Lobby to deny contraception coverage to its employees.

But as Sarah Jones reported this week, this isn’t Green’s only interest in church-state policy.


It’s worth emphasizing that public schools are legally permitted to offer classes related to religious history and religious texts, so long as the curricula is secular and objective. A scholarly, historical analysis of scripture is consistent with the First Amendment’s separation of church and state; public-school evangelism is not.

What does Hobby Lobby’s Green have in mind for public high-school students? The Green Scholars Initiative insists lesson plans will honor the law and remain religiously neutral, but in Green’s 2013 speech, he specifically told his audience, “The history is to show the reliability of this book…. When you present the evidence, the evidence is overwhelming.”

Now that Green’s Bible curriculum has been embraced by an Oklahoma school district, don’t be too surprised if Hobby Lobby’s owner ends up in another major church-state court fight.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* State lawmakers in Louisiana are moving forward with their plans to make the Christian Bible the official book of the state. Litigation appears likely.

* A New Jersey woman tried to get a personalized license plate that reads “8THEIST,” but the state DMV apparently rejected it. She’s taking the matter to federal court.

* As if the “war on Christmas” didn’t seem quite foolish enough, Fox News has also been talking up an alleged “war on Easter.”

* A fascinating story out of North Carolina: “A new religious statue in the town of Davidson, N.C., is unlike anything you might see in church. The statue depicts Jesus as a vagrant sleeping on a park bench. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church installed the homeless Jesus statue on its property in the middle of an upscale neighborhood filled with well-kept townhomes. Jesus is huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured; only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet give him away. The reaction was immediate. Some loved it; some didn’t.”

* And at the close of the White House’s Easter Prayer Breakfast this week, President Barack Obama “unexpectedly turned the floor over to Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop…. Robinson retired as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in early 2013. He is now a senior fellow at the liberal think tank the Center for American Progress.”

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-41914

Pat Whathisface didn't make any headlines?

Maybe he's got laryngitis. I'm sure he'll make up for his absence next week with something twice as obnoxious as usual.

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 4.26.14
04/26/14 09:27 AM—Updated 04/26/14 09:28 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a story out of Louisiana, which very nearly officially endorsed the Christian Bible in an unusual way.

Most states have all kinds of official declarations honoring things that make their state unique. Go just about anywhere in the U.S. and you’ll find an official state song, official state bird, official state flower, etc. South Carolina recently took up the task of choosing an official state fossil, though that proved to be more difficult than expected.

But in Louisiana, several state lawmakers decided the Pelican State needed an official state book – and in this case, they chose a Christian Bible. This week, however, the lawmaker championing the proposal scrapped his plan.

Republican state Rep. Thomas Carmody dropped the proposal shortly before it was scheduled to go before the full state House of Representatives Monday evening for a debate and vote, saying that the bill had become a distraction, according to The Times-Picayune.

Carmody had originally chosen a specific copy of the King James Bible to serve as the official state book, but “lawmakers amended the legislation in committee to designate simply any copy of the Holy Bible.”

Because if you’re going to designate one religion’s holy book for official state sponsorship, it’s best to be accommodating.

As we discussed last week, state Rep. Wesley Bishop (D) warned his colleagues before the vote about possible litigation: “You cannot separate Christianity from the Bible. If you adopt the Bible as the official state book, you also adopt Christianity as the state religion…. We are going to open ourselves up to a lawsuit.”

Indeed, Carmody made brief remarks explaining his decision to pull his proposal, and noted that the plan to endorse the Christian Bible “causes some constitutional problems.”

For now, it appears those problems have gone away.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* There’s a new religious category within the U.S. military: “More than two years after first making his request, Army Maj. Ray Bradley can now be known as exactly what he is: a humanist in the U.S. military…. Lt. Col. Sunset R. Belinsky, an Army spokeswoman, said Tuesday (April 22) that the ‘preference code for humanist’ became effective April 12 for all members of the Army.”

* An interesting story out of Alabama: “Last week, Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled that women who use chemical substances during pregnancy may be charged with child endangerment. The case, Hicks v. Alabama, has been controversial due to its possible implications for abortion access. Now more controversy abounds, given new evidence that at least one justice based the ruling on his personal religious beliefs. In his concurring opinion, the court’s chief justice, Roy Moore, peppered his arguments with biblical references and promoted the debunked notion that American law has uniquely Christian roots.”

* The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer told his listeners this week that “there are consequences” for those making “foolish declarations.” The irony was rich.

* An awful accident in Italy: “A man was crushed to death when a giant crucifix dedicated to Pope John Paul II collapsed and fell on him, ITV News reports. The accident came just days before a historic canonization that will see the late pope declared a saint. The 98-foot-high wooden and concrete cross fell during a ceremony in the Italian Alpine village of Cevo on Thursday, killing 21-year-old student Marco Gusmini. Another man was taken to hospital” (thanks to my colleague Tricia McKinney for the tip).

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-42614

Here is this week's installment ~ I will post a picture of the "7-foot Satan" statue mock-up in the next post ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 5.3.14
05/03/14 09:53 AM—Updated 05/03/14 10:50 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is the latest look at a story out of Oklahoma, where state Republican officials were so eager to promote government-endorsed religious displays, they created a forum with unintended consequences (thanks to my colleague Kate Osborn for the heads-up).


As we last discussed in December, Republican policymakers in Oklahoma authorized a Ten Commandments monument, paid for using private funds, to be placed on the capitol grounds. This led a Satanic group to an understandable assumption: Oklahoma’s capitol grounds are now an open forum for privately funded religious displays – and they want equal treatment.

In this case, the $20,000 Satanic monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma state capitol would, like the Ten Commandments display, be privately financed. Taxpayers wouldn’t pay a dime – all the Satanic Temple would need is comparable public space provided by the state legislature for the Christian monument in 2009.

This week, the Satanic group announced it had raised $30,000 and unveiled a mock-up of what the statue would look like. If Oklahoma officials balk – and believe me, they will – litigation is very likely inevitable, and the Satanists will have a reasonably strong argument.

The underlying principle is simple: in an open forum, the government can’t play favorites. If the government is going to devote space to promoting one religious monument, celebrating the tenets of one faith, it can’t deny space to other religions that expect equal treatment. Indeed, it’s easy to imagine the Oklahoma state capitol reserving space for everyone: Baptists, Buddhists, and the Baha’i; as well as Sikhs, Scientologists, and Satanists.

There are, after all, no second-class Americans citizens when it comes to the First Amendment. If one group has the right to erect a monument, so does everyone else.

State officials who aren’t happy about these developments probably should have thought this through before. They opened the door, and it’s going to get crowded as others walk through it.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* The United Church of Christ filed suit in North Carolina this week, challenging the state’s ban on marriage equality, but their argument comes with a twist: “Like dozens of marriage equality suits that have come before, this case – United Church of Christ v. Cooper – cites the constitutional rights to equal protection and due process under the Fourteenth Amendment, currently denied to gay and lesbian couples who wish to marry in North Carolina. But what makes the suit unique is its charge that the state’s marriage law also violates the First Amendment’s guarantee to freedom of religion – something typically used in arguments against LGBT equality, not for it.”

* Rep. Janice Hahn wanted to hear Billy Graham’s daughter speak at Thursday’s National Day of Prayer event on Capitol Hill this week, but the California Democrat was so disgusted with James Dobson’s partisan tirade that Hahn “stormed out of the room before that portion of the program could get underway.”

* A definite no-no: “Rev. Mark Harris, one of the eight Republicans competing for the nomination in the North Carolina Senate race, didn’t report donations from speaking events at church events as campaign donations. That may put Harris in campaign finance hot water.”

* And an interesting story out of Georgia: “Georgia’s Catholic and Episcopal churches are opting out of the state’s new expanded gun law. Among other things, the expansive legislation signed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) last week bans weapons from places of worship but gives religious leaders the authority to make exceptions to that ban for licensed gun owners. In the days since it was signed, senior religious leaders in the Catholic and Episcopal communities in Georgia have vowed not to allow such exceptions” (thanks to my colleague Tricia McKinney for the heads-up).

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-5314

Here's a picture of the "7-foot Satan" statue mock-up that accompanies the prior post ~ Sooz

"Satan" is Jewish?

Edit: My bad. That isn't a Star of David.

The pentagram is pointing in the wrong direction. Not satanic at all. Somebody made a boo-boo.

Yeah. Satan's supposed to stand on his her head.

Here is this week's installment ~ I'm going to post the Right Wing Watch article referenced below next ~ it's a doozy ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 5.10.14
05/10/14 08:27 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is one of the most controversial elected officials in the religious right movement, who gave voice this week to a truly bizarre argument about religious liberty.

Alabama’s Roy Moore is perhaps best known as the “Ten Commandments judge” who gained notoriety for using his courtroom to promote his religious beliefs. After parlaying his celebrity status into a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court, he was removed from office for ignoring court orders he didn’t like. Moore nevertheless ran again and was re-elected.

Now Alabama’s state Supreme Court Chief Justice is making comments like these.


“Everybody, to include the U.S. Supreme Court, has been deceived as to one little word in the First Amendment called ‘religion.’ They can’t define it,” Moore argued. “They can’t define it the way Mason, Madison, and even the United States Supreme Court defined it, ‘the duties we owe to the creator and the manner of discharging it.’ They don’t want to do that, because that acknowledges a creator god.”

“Buddha didn’t create us. Mohammed didn’t create us. It’s the god of the Holy Scriptures,” the right-wing jurist added.

The obvious takeaway from the comments was that Moore believes the First Amendment was designed to protect Christians – but no one else. To believe religious liberty applies to all, he suggests, is to be “deceived.”

Moore later clarified that he meant to refer to the biblical foundations in the United States, not the contemporary application of the First Amendment, but (a) that’s clearly not what he said; and (b) the framers wrote a secular Constitution and created a secular government, so these biblical foundations don’t really exist in any practical context.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* The pope continues to champion redistribution of wealth: “Pope Francis called for ‘the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits’ on Friday, arguing that the Bible demands an economic system that cares for the ‘poorest and those most excluded.’”

* The Massachusetts Supreme Court this week ruled against a lawsuit challenging the addition of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

* If you missed the prayer event at Capitol Hill’s Statuary Hall this week, Right Wing Watch has some of the highlights. (I use the word “highlights” loosely.)

* In the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling, religious right leaders are eager to encourage local government officials to start official public meetings with Christian prayers.

* And TV preacher Pat Robertson this week told viewers of his “700 Club” program that there are “a whole bunch of radicals on the right” who are ruining things for Republicans by nominating candidates who “aren’t capable of beating the Democrats.” The right-wing televangelist said all of this without a hint of irony.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-51014

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 5.17.14
05/17/14 08:49 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a U.S. Senate candidate who seemed to suggest that religious beliefs can be applied so broadly, they can justify lawbreaking on a rather grand scale.

In Nebraska this week, Ben Sasse won his Republican primary with relative ease and is the clear favorite to replace retiring Sen. Mike Johanns (R). But in the meantime, Ian Millhiser and Josh Israel noted that Sasse takes a rather expansive view when it comes to the First Amendment.

“Ben Sasse believes that our right to the free exercise of religion is co-equal to our right to life,” the candidate’s campaign materials explain. “This is not a negotiable issue. Government cannot force citizens to violate their religious beliefs under any circumstances.”

It’s that last part that’s written so broadly as to be problematic.

His proposed rule – that government cannot require someone to act counter to their religious beliefs “under any circumstances” – would mean that literally any law could be ignored by someone who held a religious belief counter to that law. According to National Geographic, for example, “[h]undreds, if not thousands, of women are murdered by their families each year in the name of family ‘honor,’” and while this practice “goes across cultures and across religions,” some of the perpetrators of honor killings are motivated by their religious faith. Under Sasse’s formulation of religious liberty, a person who killed his own sister because he believed he was under a religious obligation to do so would be immune from prosecution for murder.

Similarly, religious beliefs have been used to justify discrimination against racial minorities, women, and LGBT Americans at different points in American history.

It’s easy to imagine circumstances in which, under Sasse’s model, Americans would be justified in ignoring all kinds of laws. Most of the current political debates relate to issues such as anti-discrimination laws and contraception access, but if “government cannot force citizens to violate their religious beliefs under any circumstances,” it would necessarily open a dangerous legal door.

The ThinkProgress piece added, “Indeed, under Sasse’s formulation, a person who believes that they violate their religious beliefs if they are late to church could ignore the speed limit, traffic lights, and stop signs if obeying traffic laws would cause them to miss just one minute of their church’s Sunday service.”

To date, the candidate has not elaborated on how he might want to apply his stated policy position. The Senate race in Nebraska in 171 days away, which should give Sasse plenty of time to expound on his perspective.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Remember the South Carolina proposal to create a state fossil, which ran into opposition from creationists in the state legislature? The dispute appears to have been resolved this week.

* Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) continues to argue that “the Constitution was created by God,” and to bolster his case, the Texas Republican is citing a quote from Alexander Hamilton. The problem, in this case, is that Hamilton’s quote came from 1775 – years before the Constitution was written.

* In the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling on government-endorsed prayers at local-government meetings, religious right groups are pushing communities to promote Christianity at official public gatherings. My pals at Americans United for Separation of Church and State this week launched “Operation Inclusion,” hoping to push local officials in the other direction.

* And Pope Francis this week addressed an untraditional subject: extraterrestrials. “If … an expedition of Martians arrives and some of them come to us … and if one of them says: ‘Me, I want to be baptized!’ what would happen?” he asked. The pope added that his church turns no one away, even aliens from another world (thanks to Summer Ash for the heads-up).

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-51714

Remember the South Carolina proposal to create a state fossil, which ran into opposition from creationists in the state legislature? The dispute appears to have been resolved this week.

Newt Gingrich?

Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

This Week in God, 5.24.14
05/24/14 08:38 AM
By Steve Benen

First up from the God Machine this week is a new edition at the Creation Museum in Kentucky, which as Eric Lach reported, will unveil a world-class Allosaurus skeleton today.


Around the world, real scholars working in legitimate institutions would unveil well-preserved dinosaur skeletons as a scientific breakthrough in fields such as geology, archeology, and biology. But at the Creation Museum, today’s unveiling of an Allosaurus – complete with a skull featuring 53 teeth – is perceived as evidence of creationism.

Indeed, someone who works with Answers in Genesis insisted the skeleton “is a testimony to an extremely rapid burial, which is confirmation of the global catastrophe of a Flood a few thousand years ago.”

In the world of actual science, the Allosaurus lived in the Jurassic period about 150 million years ago.

When it comes to the bizarre political dispute over science, creationists have often resisted the fossil record, with some suggesting dinosaur bones are satanic tricks intended to test evangelicals’ belief system. Now it appears at least some creationists have reached the opposite conclusion, not only embracing dinosaur skeletons but even adapting their worldview to say the bones fit into their young-earth creationist model.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* A fair number of Americans who claim to go to religious services regularly don’t actually show up: “[C]ounting churchgoers has always been a bit tricky. Some congregations tend to over-report attendance, seeking to demonstrate vitality. Others are more scrupulous, especially in denominations where churches pay assessments based on size. And it’s been evident for years that Americans tend to overstate their own religiosity: There is a persistent gap between the number of people who claim to go to worship services and the number who can actually be counted in pews.”

* Interesting poll results: “Americans would more likely support a philandering presidential candidate than an atheist one – by an 18 percent margin – according to a Pew Research Center poll published Monday. While 35 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who had an extramarital affair, 53 percent of Americans indicated that not believing in God – the trait viewed most negatively of the 16 tested – would make them unsupportive of a candidate.”

* This again? “This week’s bad idea is brought to you by members of Congress who think it would be great to add a Christian prayer to the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. If this sounds familiar to you, that’s because some in Congress have been pushing this misguided measure every year since 2011. The proposal is pretty simple: A prayer given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on D-Day (June 6, 1944) would be added to the memorial, which opened in 2004.”

* An important papal tour: “Pope Francis sets out for his first trip to the Holy Land on Saturday in what he has called ‘a strictly religious visit,’ but in a land where religion and politics are intertwined, he will walk a political tight-rope. Traveling with a rabbi and a Muslim leader in tow as a nod to inter-faith dialogue, Francis will visit Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Israel in a crowded, three-day trip.”

* And the Family Research Council hosted an event this week, called the “Watchmen on the Walls” conference, featuring a variety of leaders from the religious right movement and politicians eager to pander to socially conservative pastors and activists. Notably, Franklin Graham offered a spirited argument in defense of condemning gay people: “Are we going to be cowards because we’re afraid? Could we get our heads chopped off? We could, maybe one day. So what? Chop it off!”

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-52414