Link bomb

I have been doing my ‘link bomb’ series for months over at the USU SHAFT blog, but I’ve been invited to share them here also. I hope you enjoy it!

Last Thursday, the pope called Christians the most persecuted people in the world, and this immediately elicited derision from my fellow liberals, gay rights activists, and atheists. The popes contention may seem absurd at first blush. I mean, Christians enjoy a privileged status in our country. But elsewhere

Greta Christina discusses why religious believers want the atheist seal of approval.

Millions of people will commemorate the virgin birth of Jesus this weekend. How do Mormons, though, reconcile the virgin birth with their belief that Jesus is the literal son of a corporeal god? My friend Neal supposes that god artificially inseminated Mary.

In another Christmas-related story, a Texas Christian group executes Santa by a firing squad.

Salon magazine names comedian Ricky Gervais the funny new face of atheism.

Elizabeth Edwards passed away after a long struggle with cancer two weeks ago. Her last public goodbye was posted on Facebook, and what was most notable about it was not what she did mention, but what she didntgod.

Disciples, a short documentary produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, profiles the lives of three openly gay ex-Mormons.

In a surprising gesture, the LDS Church invited prominent gay rights activists, including Dustin Lance Black, to its Christmas concert last weekend.

LTD Jewelers prepares for the Second Coming by offering a 50% off sale. Yes, really.

I recently wrote about the similarities between atheism and Mormonism. Well, I missed one: both are unpopular. A new survey conducted by sociologists David Campbell and Robert Putnam found that Mormons are the third most hated religious group. (That same survey also found that religious peopleespecially Mormons and black Protestantsmake easy targets for scams.)

Five ridiculous things you probably believe about Islam, and five psychological effects which cause people to believe in nonsense.

Coming soon to a theater new you: Gawd Bless America, a hilarious and critical documentary about aliens, physics, and the paranormal.

The multiverse theory is often dismissed as a convenient way for atheists to circumvent the cosmological argument for god, but there is new evidence that lends some credence to the theory.

The Obama administration released scientific integrity guidelines to increase transparency and prevent political meddling with scientific research, a problem under the previous administration.

Christopher Hitchens and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach debate the afterlife. Boteachs Jewish perspective made for an interesting discussion, as he and Hitchens agreed that an emphasis on the afterlife is immoral.

An atheist tries to make sense of the Fall and the crucifixion. I share his confusion.

Ironically, ethics books are among the most likely to be stolen.

According to a new Gallup poll, four in 10 Americans believe in strict creationism. Thats the bad news. The good news: belief in strict creationism is at its lowest point since this survey was first done in 1982.

Can you tell whether someone is religious by their face alone? A research team from the University of Toronto claims you can. They even concluded that you can tell Mormons apart from other Christians.

Google just released a tool, Ngram, that allows you to track word and language trends in millions of books over the hundreds of years. The occurrence of the word god has experienced a dramatic decline in literature since 1800.