St. Paul Atheists have officially left the closet.

Courtesy of the Political Carnival: 

The Interfaith Conversation Cafe in St. Paul, which gathers people of many religions for a monthly discussion, is now open to nonreligions. The organizers have removed "faith" from the name, explaining that atheists felt excluded by it, and are calling it the "Interbelief Conversation Cafe." 

"We are leaders in the field," said Frank Burton, a member of the Minneapolis branch of Circle of Reason, a group that includes atheists and believers and lobbied for the change. 

Minnesota's atheists are coming out of the closet. 

The St. Paul Saints have had an atheist-themed baseball game in each of the past three seasons. There's an "Atheists Talk" program on KTNF-AM 950 on Sunday mornings. 

Nationally, books on atheism have been best-sellers, and the debut of the channel Atheist TV was announced last week. 

"I think atheists are getting organized," said University of Minnesota professor Penny Edgell, who will be teaching what she said is the state's first class in atheism starting in September. "It's a wave of visibility."

Well what do you know? It looks like the place to be an Atheist is Minnesota.

Who knew?

Personally I love stories of Atheists being accepted around the world, and of their voices being heard instead of having them silenced by those who want to vilify and persecute them for daring to reason.

Pope sends out Christmas message of hope. Well except for the gays who are putting "the future of mankind at stake" of course. Screw them!

Scariest Santa ever!

Courtesy of the Daily Mail:

The Pope has pressed his opposition to gay marriage today saying the future of mankind is at stake. 

Pope Benedict XVI denounced what he described as people manipulating their God-given identities to suit their sexual choices - and destroying the very 'essence of the human creature' in the process. 

He made the comments in his annual Christmas address to the Vatican bureaucracy, one of his most important speeches of the year. 

He dedicated it this year to promoting traditional family values in the face of vocal campaigns in France, the U.S., Britain and elsewhere to legalise same-sex marriage. 

In his remarks, Pope Benedict quoted the chief rabbi of France, Gilles Bernheim, in saying the campaign for granting gays the right to marry and adopt children was an 'attack' on the traditional family made up of a father, mother and children. 

'People dispute the idea that they have a nature, given to them by their bodily identity, that serves as a defining element of the human being,' he said. 'They deny their nature and decide that it is not something previously given to them, but that they make it for themselves.' '

The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man's fundamental choice where he himself is concerned,' he said. 

It was the second time in a week that Pope Benedict has taken on the question of gay marriage, which is dividing France, and which scored big electoral wins in the U.S. last month. In his recently released annual peace message, Pope Benedict said gay marriage, like abortion and euthanasia, was a threat to world peace.

Has anybody else noticed that all of these "religions of peace" always have some group, or groups, that they tell their congregants to feel free to hate on?

"You must love everybody. Well except for those assholes over there. God says you can hate them all you want!"

And by the way, how can a man who wears flowing robes and little red pumps be AGAINST homosexuals?

I mean come on!

That look doesn't scream conservative religious values, It screams Gay Pride Week!

Anderson Cooper "The fact is I'm gay."

Courtesy of Andrew Sullivan:  

I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand. 

The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud. 

I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist.

This CANNOT come as much of surprise to most people, but I am still impressed that Cooper has decided to simply announce the obvious, get the whole thing behind him, and then focus on doing what he does best, report the news.

Personally I think that Anderson Cooper is possibly the best thing that CNN still has going for them, especially after they made that dramatic shift to the Right in order to attract Fox viewers. (Which of course is ridiculous since most of them are not allowed to change the station on the dayroom television in their old folks home/mental health facility.)

Well now that Anderson Cooper is out I wonder who will be next?

I'm looking at you Shepherd Smith. Come on buddy! You can do it!