Monthly Archives: October 2009

Debaptism Is Your Human Right

Posted on October 31, 2009 by

Lately I’ve been fascinated by the debaptism phenomenon in Italy, called “sbattezzo.”  The numbers of debaptisms aren’t high yet (a few thousand are presumed), and it’s difficult to gauge exactly how many people debaptise themselves (I prefer the reflexive form) … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Humanism & Freethought, Freethought, Human Rights, Identity, Pope and the Vatican, Religious Faith, Separation of church and state | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In Case You Thought Bats Were Birds

Posted on October 30, 2009 by

They’re not. And they’re not kosher, either, which is odd because we find them among other non-kosher birds: storks, cormorants, owls, herons, the hoopoe (Israel’s democratically elected national bird) and the ever-abominable falcon in Leviticus 11:13-20 (JPS Version, for you citers out … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical fallacy, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Same Old Yada Yada Yada…

Posted on October 28, 2009 by

I’m a sucker for memes. This might sound odd to anyone unfamiliar with meme theory, called memetics, but anyone who has been around me in the last few months has certainly received an earful on this tantalizing topic. What is … Continue reading →

Posted in Man About Rome, Obama memes, Science | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Choice: Islam or No Islam?

Posted on October 28, 2009 by

Sergio Romano concludes – in his advice column – that Italians have essentially two choices regarding the teaching of Islam in public schools: 1. Get used to it. Muslims are second only to Catholics in number, and growing.  In Italy we must … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy, Religious Hypocrisy, Separation of church and state | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ora et Labora

Posted on October 28, 2009 by

Piero Marrazzo is on vacation, and he’s looking for a monastery in which to “find himself.” Only, after the recent scandal that forced him out of politics, he’s having a hard time finding a monastery that will take him. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy, Religious Faith | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Watching Israel

Posted on October 27, 2009 by

There was an op-ed in the New York Times a week ago by Robert L. Bernstein, the founder of Human Rights Watch, highlighting some of the differences between Israel and its neighbors. Why do they pick on Israel? First, because … Continue reading →

Posted in Free speech, Human Rights, Israel and the Middle East, Lawfare, Terrorism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

From Nobodaddy to No One

Posted on October 27, 2009 by

It has been observed in the comments of this blog that William Blake was perhaps not an atheist. That’s fine by me. I love Blake, and I’m not trying to convert anyone to atheism, agnosticism or indifferentism. But what did … Continue reading →

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An Unimportant Phenomenon?

Posted on October 26, 2009 by

Yesterday was Debaptism Day in Italy. Here is an interview with an Italian gay couple, both of whom have debaptised themselves. Apparently, the Catholic Church would like to pretend this is an unimportant phenomenon, but it is by now transnational and – … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Freethought, Human Rights, Italy, Religious Hypocrisy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Un’altra Italia è possibile!

Posted on October 25, 2009 by

Campagna per un’Italia veramente laica, con pari diritti per tutti i cittadini. Una sfida immensa, ma già in corso.

Posted in Human Rights, Italy, Pope and the Vatican, Religious Faith, Separation of church and state | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Prostitutes. Cocaine. Blackmail. Italy, as Usual.

Posted on October 25, 2009 by

Italy is like one of those Whitman’s Sampler boxes of chocolates my mother used to buy at the Safeway. Only, instead of chocolate confections, here we have political scandals. As the world chortles at the Berlusconi affair, the (now ex-) president … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy, Religious Faith, Religious Hypocrisy | Tagged , | 4 Comments