PBS's "Nova" tonight: "The Bible's Buried Secrets"

It's a rerun from 2008 but I caught part of it and I'll DVR it to review here.  The part I caught traced the origins of the Jews to Canaanites enslaved by Egypt, who escaped and together with other refugees they created Judaism.  The first reference to a god with a name like "Yaweh" is an Egyptian reference to one that sounds like "Yahoo."  Cracked me up!

I like how PBS ignores religion until right before Easter and Christmas, when they feel obliged to air non-Christian shows for some reason.  Strange, but interesting.


You can get the DVD here:

http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=3333844&cp=&kw=bibles+buried+secrets&origkw=bible%27s+buried+secrets&sr=1

How many of the Old Testament Stories Really Happened?

Christians pick and choose what to believe based on whether the OT stuff conforms to their prejudices.  And then there are the nutters who want to believe the Bible is "history."  Using this timeline, let's see how the OT's Greatest Hits stand up to archaeology, textual criticism, and history:

Creation Story	Disproved
Adam and Eve	Disproved
Flood / Noah's Ark	Disproved
Sodom and Gomorrah	Cities possibly proved
... but the people? probably fables	No evidence
Slavery of the Israelites	Disputed
Job	Doubted by believers
The Plagues	Not true

Secular Bible?

http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/04/04/a-c-grayling-writes-a-secular-bible/

Sounds a lot like the Jefferson Bible.  

There's some good stuff in the Bible.  Lots of things worth keeping for moral instruction.  Such as:

• Be nice to the others in your community (but it's okay to kill them en masse)
• Don't kill people (unless you don't like them)
• Obey your parents (until they become inconvenient) 
• Take care of your children (except when you kill them)
• Be nice to your neighbors (except when God tells you they're all going to die in a flood or some other act of genocide -- then get out quickly and don't tell them a thing!)
• Be a good slave, especially if your form of slavery is called "marriage"

Yeah, sounds good to me!

Another local idiot speaks out

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20110402/OPINION03/104020313/Bible-says-s-wrong

On the front page of The Star Press on Tuesday, March 22 was an article, "Straight Allies Stand Up for Gay Rights."

The featured speaker was Claire Buffie, an advocate for gay rights.

In the Bible, the inspired word of God (that never changes) states that in the beginning, God created in his image both male and female. He blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:27-28).

Leviticus states that homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord. By no means is this to say that God hates homosexuals, but does mean that he hates and is disgusted by the sin of homosexuality. He states very plainly that homosexuals (among others) will not inherit the Kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9-10).

Can homosexuals be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth?

I'm proud to report that commentors have ripped this shit to shreds.  Someone pointed out that the Bible has changed many times.  Someone else pointed out that other people who can't reproduce have the right to be married.  Another person listed all the rules in Leviticus that Christians are happy to ignore.  And finally the first amendment got a backhanded nod.

The article appeared on April 1.  It should have been a Poe, but apparently this idiot is the real thing.  They seem to get published every time the paper reports on something they don't like.  They don't like a lot of things.  They need to grow up.

Ray Comfort on The Atheist Experience

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13612645

Ray Comfort is a leading (?) Christian bullshitter.  He agreed to do a phone interview on The Atheist Experience, much to the LOLz of the chatters online at the time.  I have to admit, I was shaking my head a lot.  Can someone really be that stupid and be willing to let other people see their stupidity first hand?

He probably thinks he "won" but his sputtering indicates otherwise.

Bertrand Russell Interview

Very cool.  I especially like his message to future generations (at the end)

Fox News Radio: Fair and Balanced about Creationism? I don't think so!

http://radio.foxnews.com/2011/03/22/atheist-wants-creationist-teacher-fired/

They allow comments here.  I'm waiting to see if the site admins approve.

EVERYONE should want a creationist biology teacher fired!  If I were a Christian and had kids in that school, I'd be livid that this creep is usurping the parental and church role for religious education.  Not to mention, I'd want my kids to learn real science.  Even 30 seconds devoted to fairy tales would detract from real learning.