Christian Pastor: 'I Believe That the Government Should Use the Death Penalty' on Homosexuals

Fundamentalist Pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona recently appeared on an Irish radio show. I'm not sure what the expectation was, but the host spoke with him for over an hour -- with callers -- and Anderson found a way to piss off just about everyone.

MORE: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/07/06/christian-pastor-i-believe-that-the-government-should-use-the-death-penalty-on-homosexuals/

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Disgusting - 'Vomit' & Death Wished For Gays in the Name of Religion

Indiana GOP passes law making it a crime for clergy to marry gays

Sec. 7. A person who knowingly solemnizes a marriage of individuals who are prohibited from marrying by IC 31-11-1 commits a Class B misdemeanor.

MORE: http://www.religiousrightwatch.com/2013/07/indiana-gop-passes-law-making-it-a-crime-for-clergy-to-marry-gays.html

'God's Law' In Pennsylvania?: Keystone State Legislator Justifies Shouting Down Gay Colleague On Religious Grounds

One of the primary purposes of democratic assemblies is to allow a variety of voices to be heard, but that civics lesson seems to have escaped a Pennsylvania lawmaker who prevented one of his colleagues from speaking last week because allowing him to do so would have been "open rebellion against God's law."

MORE: https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/god-s-law-in-pennsylvania-keystone-state-legislator-justifies-shouting-down

Massachusetts Catholic church pulls art museum funding over LGBT marriage

A Catholic church in Massachusetts says it will no longer fund a local art museum after it responded to last week's Supreme Court rulings in favor of same sex marriage by offering to host weddings for gay and lesbian couples.

MORE: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/02/massachusetts-catholic-church-pulls-art-museum-funding-over-lgbt-marriage/

As more states restrict abortions, fights rage on

Ten states have already banned abortion after 20 weeks, while one state -- North Dakota -- went so far as to ban abortions occurring after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which could be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Other states have adopted measures that effectively restrict abortion access, such as prolonging the waiting period for an abortion or requiring a woman to have an ultrasound before getting an abortion.

MORE: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57592974/as-more-states-restrict-abortions-fights-rage-on/

Irony-Free Abortion Ban Added to Sharia Law Ban

North Carolina, when will you stop surprising us with such delights?

MORE: http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/07/03/irony_free_abortion_ban_added_to_sharia_law_ban.html

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I Wish #Motorcyclevagina Were Trending for a Better Reason
http://www.aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom-womens-rights/i-wish-motorcyclevagina-were-trending-better-reason

Texas House approves sweeping abortion restrictions

(Reuters) -- The Texas House of Representatives approved sweeping abortion restrictions on Tuesday, including a ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy and tougher standards for clinics that perform the procedure.

MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/10/us-usa-abortion-texas-idUSBRE96805G20130710

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Texas Abortion Bill Author In 2007: No Health Care For Unborn Because 'They're Not Born Yet' (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/texas-abortion-bill-author_n_3570588.html

Thousands attend demonstration on Texas abortion bill SB1
http://www.goddiscussion.com/113121/thousands-attend-demonstration-on-texas-abortion-bill-sb1/

Supreme Court weighs Oklahoma abortion law case

The district court made it clear that the law was so completely at odds with the standards that govern the practice of medicine that it couldn't serve any other purpose than to discriminate against women seeking an abortion and to prevent them from getting the care they desire, Movahed said.

The state's high court said the measure was unconstitutional based on a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutional right to have an abortion.

MORE: http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Supreme_Court_weighs_Oklahoma_abortion_law_case/20130628_11_A1_CUTLIN233789

Ohio GOP Governor signs extreme anti-choice bill

According to the wording of what is known as HB 59, the new definition of a fetus is to be a,"...human offspring developing during pregnancy from the moment of conception and includes the embryonic stage of development."

MORE: http://www.goddiscussion.com/112981/ohio-gop-governor-signs-extreme-anti-choice-bill/

Government issues new rules for churches and birth control coverage

"This disappointing rule change sets a terrible precedent for religious interference in individual choice," said Edwina Rogers, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America, in a statement. "This exemption gives employers the ability to impose their particular religious beliefs on employees, infringing on the religious freedom of potentially millions of Americans."

MORE: http://www.wbir.com/news/article/278624/193/Government-issues-new-rules-for-churches-and-birth-control-coverage-

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Birth-control rules issued for faith-based groups
http://www.wtsp.com/news/national/article/322840/81/Birth-control-rules-issued-for-faith-based-groups

New ObamaCare Rules Will Give Broad Exemptions to Religious Employers… but They're Still Not Happy
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/06/29/new-obamacare-rules-will-give-broad-exemptions-to-religious-employers-but-theyre-still-not-happy/

Conservative Court Says Religious Employers Can Deny Their Workers Birth Control
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/06/28/2228651/conservative-court-says-religious-employers-can-deny-their-workers-birth-control/?mobile=nc

Disturbing Documents: Milwaukee Materials Underscore Extent Of Church Privilege

We often hear from the Religious Right and the Catholic bishops that religious freedom is under attack in the United States. Sometimes even the word "oppression" is tossed about.

It's especially ironic to hear the Catholic bishops make this charge, in light of some of the recent developments in the ongoing pedophilia scandal. A trove of documents released in Milwaukee this week show that, far from being oppressed, religious groups in America tend to be treated with kid gloves -- even when engaged in criminal activity.

MORE: https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/disturbing-documents-milwaukee-materials-underscore-extent-of-church

Gambling Nun Sentenced For Bad Habit

A Roman Catholic nun is behind bars for stealing $128,000 from two western New York churches to fuel a gambling addiction.

MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=19616948

One More Homo Species? 3D-Comparative Analysis Confirms Status of Homo Floresiensis as Fossil Human Species

Based on the analysis of 3-D landmark data from skull surfaces, scientists from Stony Brook University New York, the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen, and the University of Minnesota provide compelling support for the hypothesis that Homo floresiensis was a distinct Homo species.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130710182420.htm

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Neandertals Shared Speech and Language With Modern Humans, Study Suggests
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130709115252.htm

Names for New Pluto Moons Accepted

The IAU is pleased to announce that today it has officially recognised the names Kerberos and Styx for the fourth and fifth moons of Pluto respectively (formerly known as P4 and P5).

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130702123136.htm

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Astronomers get first look ever at our solar system's tail
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/astronomers-get-first-look-ever-our-solar-systems-tail-6C10597410

UN questions Vatican over child abuse cases

A major UN child rights protection body has asked the Vatican to disclose details of thousands of paedophilia cases involving Catholic clergy.

MORE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23251503

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Better Late Than Never?: United Nations Submits Questions to the Vatican on Child Sex Abuse Scandal
http://happiestatheist.blogspot.com/2013/07/better-late-than-never-united-nations.html

Vatican bank director, deputy resign amid scandal

Last week, a Vatican accountant was arrested as part of Rome prosecutors' broadening investigation into the IOR. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano is accused of corruption and slander in connection with a plot to smuggle 20 million euro ($26 million) into Italy from Switzerland without reporting it to customs officials.

MORE: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/01/vatican-bank-director-resign/2480247/http:/m.usatoday.com.akadns.net/article/news/2480247

Gay marriage a step closer to being made legal in Scotland after an historic law is passed in Parliament

Health Secretary Alex Neil said the publication of the same sex marriage legislation marked "an historic moment for Scotland and for equal rights in our country".

MORE: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/gay-marriage-made-legal-scotland-2002262#.Uc-WUHsmeq4.twitter

Shamrock Revolution: Catholic Ireland Moves To Reform Abortion Law

Ireland is having a major church-state showdown over reproductive justice. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny is pushing through the national parliament a bill that would legalize abortion for women who face life-threatening pregnancies.

MORE: https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/shamrock-revolution-catholic-ireland-moves-to-reform-abortion-law

Federation Council approves jail terms for insulting religion

St. Petersburg - The Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, has approved a bill introducing criminal liability for insulting the feelings of religious devotees, stipulating a punishment of up to three years behind bars.

MORE: http://rapsinews.com/legislation/20130626/267928904.html

The rise of atheism in modern Kenya

Ssemakula is part of a growing group of Kenyans who are atheistic and who, unlike before, are not doing anything to hide that fact. 2010 statistics show that 2.5 per cent of Kenyans, about one million, were religiously "unaffiliated", a slight increase from 2009, when 922,128 reported themselves as belonging to "no religion".

MORE: http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/DN2/The-rise-and-rise-of-nons/-/957860/1901662/-/cvmtnx/-/index.html