- Faith healing couple loses custody of baby – “I was disturbed to read about the Oregon couple who did not seek professional medical attention for their 10-month-old baby because of their faith healing practice. Their baby is now facing blindness in one eye.”
- The cargo cult of acupuncture – I admit, the title made my inner anthropologist swoon.
- 5 examples of Americans thinking foreign people are magic – “Don’t get me wrong, it is great that Westerners are now trying to understand foreign cultures and not murder them, but a lot of what’s going around these days is less an attempt to understand foreigners as other human beings and more about trying to mine them for whatever mystical foreigner powers they possess.”
- Hitchens brothers agree to disagree over god – The latest public discussion on religion between the two brothers.
Hitchens brothers agree to disagree over god
In other news, an armistice has been signed between dogs, cats, and mice.
I weep for the day when goldfish and canaries sign and the human’s days are numbered.
I’m feeling particularly silly today. Woohoo!
I assure you, my overseas relatives are the very opposite of “magic”.
Random thoughts about pillaging foreign wisdom: The Donna Chang episode of Seinfeld and Joplin’s line “the road don’t end in Katmandu.”
I’ve always felt that Canadian people were magic.
The blog concerning the child neglect case is not correct in one significant statement. The blogger states that “Most states have exceptions in their child neglect and abuse statutes for parents who practice faith healing – a belief that religious faith can heal. Oregon is one of the only states to restrict that exemption.†That is not true; most states will allow a parent to forgo things like immunizations and other typical preventative care practices for their child if there is a religious or philosophical objection. However all states will intervene if a parents religious beliefs put a child at significant risk of harm or cause harm. There is no religious exemption anywhere I’m aware of for criminal behavior, child abuse or neglect. I think the author may be confused in that an adult can choose to refuse any and all medical care for religious reasons; you cannot make that choice for your child if there is a likelihood of harm.
The Gnu Atheist symbol
I don’t think the interest in foreign alphabet/word tattooing is because those who get them think they are “magical” so much as they think they are pretty. It would, of course, be smarter if those who got that sort of tattoo made sure that the characters actually said what they were supposed to; nothing like running around with “shithead” inked into one’s flesh . Or misspelt Latin.
@DominEditrix: “nothing like running around with “shithead†inked into one’s flesh .”
Some people should be required to.
@James – Oregon has a law that disallows more significant punishments (depraved indifference) if based on religious grounds.
This is an article I wrote on the same group when another child died.
http://www.salemskeptics.com/2010/02/beagley/
If adults want to talk to their imaginary friend rather than seek medical care that’s their prerogative. But when they impose it on their child, it’s abuse.
I’m very disappointed that Peter Hitchens can’t hold a candle to his elder brother.
Without a god to prop him up, apparently the younger Hitchens will indulge in all kinds of evil behaviour.