Civil Commotion

Todd Courser’s political career goes down in rainbow-colored flames

Intending to blunt rumors of an affair with a similarly conservative and pious Tea Party legislator, Michigan representative Todd Courser had an ingenious idea: He would start the rumor that he frequents male prostitutes.

State Rep. Todd Courser planned the distribution of a fictional email alleging he had sex with a male prostitute in a bid to conceal his relationship with Rep. Cindy Gamrat, according to audio recordings obtained by The Detroit News.

Courser, a Lapeer Republican, said on one recording the email was designed to create “a complete smear campaign” of exaggerated, false claims about him and Gamrat so a public revelation about the legislators’ relationship would seem “mild by comparison.”

The Donald has totally lost it.

Seriously: Can y’all imagine Trump negotiating an arms treaty with Iran, say, or maritime boundaries with China?

A thoughtful piece at Rational Doubt, the Clergy Project blog, reprises a point I’ve made countless times through the years — that the whole of Christianity relies upon you accepting the intensely degrading metaphysical claim that you’re no damn good.

I decided then that as a former bible bigot and user of Evangelical hate speech, I would call out the Evangelicals for their hate speech.

Here are some typical examples of hate speech that Evangelicals direct at their fellow human beings:

“You are born with a sinful evil human nature.”

“You deserve to burn in a fire for all eternity.”

“You need to follow our blood sacrifice religion and forsake your mother, father, sister and brothers if they don’t accept our religion.”

“You are worthless and deserve the torture you will receive in hell.”

I’m uneasy with characterizing this pro forma Christian rhetoric as hate speech, because I’m sure that most of the people who say these things earnestly believe they are doing a good thing — bringing you a gift. The objection remains valid, however, for Christianity has nothing on offer to those who aren’t insecure and damaged enough to accept its demeaning premises.

Bangladesh blogger Niloy Neel hacked to death in Dhaka

A Bangladeshi blogger known for his atheist views has been hacked to death by a gang armed with machetes in the capital Dhaka, police say.

Niloy Neel was attacked at his home in the city’s Goran area.

He is the fourth secularist blogger to have been killed this year by suspected Islamist militants in Bangladesh.

Reality and truth can always take care of themselves. The reason religion has always needed violence to protect itself is because it isn’t true.