New rule: Before you can blithely toss out any supernatural claim, you must be prepared to explain, in detail HOW THE MAGIC WORKS. We are often tasked to spend hundreds of column inches giving scientific explanations, sources and evidence by those who want to somehow dispute science and reality itself, so if you want to make claims for the supernatural you MUST spend at least as much time and effort PROVING IT.  

Yes, We’ve read your Holy Books and no, we still don’t believe them.

Yes, We are Moral creatures, it derives from our cultural upbringing and no, it doesn’t come from a supernatural source.

Yes, We have purpose in our lives that we define for ourselves and no, it doesn’t center on being a meat puppet for a cosmic puppeteer.

Yes, We believe a lot of things and no, none of it requires magic to work.

Yes, We can give a layman’s explanation of ‘how we got here’ and no, We don’t choose to do so because you should have stayed awake in school.

Yes, We are Atheists, we do not believe that god or gods exist and no, you don’t get to redefine what We are for the sake of some silly semantic argument.

 As I contemplate the myriad divisions between religious folk, the strife and disharmony that threatens the fabric of society, I can look back to a simpler time, when Catholics and Protestants stood united, arm in arm on at least one issue. That would be their stern and righteous denunciation of the heresies of Galileo Galilei .

The early 1800’s were a time of religious upheaval in the fledgling United States, a time known as the Second Great Awakening that gave birth to a host of schisms, sects and whole new churches. The Baptists and the Methodist had a heyday, and even the staid Presbyterians and Anglicans saw their numbers swell.  

Anticipating the second coming, Advent churches arose, such as the Advent Christians and the Seventh Day Adventists. It was into this swirl of Christian primitivism mixed with the folk lore and superstitions of the country folk that Joseph Smith Jr. was born.

The Discovery Institute was founded in 1990 by Bruce Chapman, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Organizations in Vienna, a Republican strategist, politician and ex Fellow of the arch conservative Hudson Institute.

Mind, not matter, is the source and crown of creation, the wellspring of human achievement. Conceived by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks and Christians, and elaborated in the American Founding, Western culture has encouraged creativity, enabled discovery and upheld the uniqueness and dignity of human beings.

Linking religious, political, and economic liberty, the Judeo-Christian culture has established the rule of law, codified respect for human rights and conceived constitutional democracy. It has engendered development of science and technology, as well as economic creativity and innovation.

In contrast, the contemporary materialistic worldview denies the intrinsic dignity and freedom of human beings and enfeebles scientific creativity and technological innovation. Its vision of a closing circle of human possibilities on a planet of limited horizons summons instead the deadening ideologies of scarcity, conflict, mutual suspicion and despair.

William A. Dembski was born July 18, 1960 to William and Ursula Dembski.  He showed a great deal of promise in his youth, finishing high school (an all male Catholic Prep School) a year early. On entering the University of Chicago, he ran into a wall both academically and personally, dropping out to work in his mother’s art business. It’s said that during this down period, he became fascinated with the Bible and Creationism.

Dembski eventually returned to school, garnering an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Masters Degrees in Statistics, Mathematics and Philosophy as well as Doctorates in Philosophy and Mathematics.

He went on to acquire a Master of Divinity in theology at the Princeton Theological Seminary. It was at the Seminary that Dembski was involved with the Charles Hodge Society, named for one of the founding fathers of the University, an arch conservative Calvinist and slave owner famed for his scathing criticism of Darwin and who is credited as the inspiration for modern fundamentalism. The society while Dembski was associated with it, worked to counter the ‘free swinging academic style’ and the ‘theological disarray’ of the Seminary. They also managed to be sued twice, facing everything from accusations of racism and sexism to threat s of funding cuts and curtailed academic careers. There were also rumored threats of a good old fashioned Christian ass kicking.  Oh, those wacky Seminarians…  

In 1977, Wildmon moved his family to Tupelo Mississippi to fulfil his dream of foisting his narrow version of blue nose morality on the public at large. To this end, he founded the National Federation for Decency.

His first target was Sears, for sponsoring Charlie’s Angels, Three’s Company and All in the Family. Sears withdrew its sponsorship for the first two.

Is this a man motivated by a desire for a return to morality and family values, or is there another agenda?

Let’s let him speak for himself;

Others have said;

Stand up comedian Kent Hovind is the Ed Wood of the creationist camp. Wood was known for his utterly sincere efforts at film making which gave us some of the worst cinematic moments of all time. Hovind is equally well known for his laughable and simpleminded notions about geology, biology, palaeontology, cosmology and of course, the US Tax Code.

Hovind is an embarrassment to the creationists, a crowd not known for being all that rational themselves. His ‘theories’ are a shining example of self refuting clap trap, and are used on the creationist site “Answers in Genesis” as an example of arguments creationists should NEVER use.

Like Ed Wood, Hovind has built a cult of personality around himself, a mythology in which he is the heroic, martyred protagonist tilting at the windmills of science, government and society itself.

He was born Kent E. Hovind in 1953. I can find no information on his parents. Hovind claims that he became a ‘born again’ Christian in 1969 at the age of 16. He did graduate from East Peoria Community High School. He then spent two years at Midwestern Baptist College where he obtained a “Bachelor of Religious Education”. Note that the school is NOT accredited, so his first claimed ‘degree’ is to be blunt, fake.

(According to the US Department of Education, unaccredited degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.)

Dobson was born to Myrtle and Traveling Evangelist, James Dobson Sr. in Shreveport, Louisiana on April 21, 1936. He is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of Church of the Nazarene ministers.
Education: He attended Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) In 1967, Dobson received his doctorate in psychology from the University of Southern California and served in the faculty of the university's Keck School of Medicine for 14 years.

Dobson has been called one of the most influential evangelical leader and spokesman for conservative social positions in the country. He displays a Machiavellian ability to manipulate the political process, relishing his role as ‘king maker’.

Slate Magazine said

Dobson entered the national consciousness in 1970 with his book “Dare to Discipline.” Which advocated a Skinnerian approach to child rearing tied to an evangelical Christian perspective. “Spare the rod and spoil the child” being the key concept.

Pat Robertson, even the man’s name is a lie. He chose the name ‘Pat’ because he felt ‘Marion’ was just ‘too effeminate’.  He was born Marion Gordon Robertson in March of 1930 to Absalom Willis Robertson, a conservative Democratic United States Senator, and his wife Gladys Churchill.  

Robertson has an issue with truthfulness. He can’t do it. For instance, He claims to have been elected Phi Beta Kappa. Robertson did graduate with Honors from his Prep School, The McCallie School in Chatanooga, and then enrolled in and subsequently graduated from Washington and Lee University majoring in History. Phi Beta Kappa keeps a registry and he’s not on it.

Robertson lied about his military service. This is what he says…
"I ended up at the headquarters command of the First Marine Division," says Robertson. "The Division was in combat in the hot and dusty, then bitterly cold portion of North Korea just above the 38th Parallel later identified as the 'Punchbowl' and 'Heartbreak Ridge.' For that service in the Korean War, the Marine Corps awarded me three battle stars for 'action against the enemy.'”