Happy Easter to all those who observe it.

Not that mere scientific evidence will change the minds of hardcore creationists, but I personally think this is pretty compelling:

"The vessels and contents are similar in all respects to blood vessels recovered from ... ostrich bone," they reported in a paper bring published Friday in the journal Science.
Birdies evolved from dinosaurs. Will the ( Read more... )

Seems there's just lots to post about today. My source on this one is MetaFilter, but I have more than a passing acquaintance with the Bob Jones U. folks from my time attending Governor's School at nearby Furman in Greenville, South Carolina ( Read more... )

Courtesy of Metafilter:

Catholic church invalidates girl's first communion because she used a gluten free wafer.

Given the news less than ten days ago of Catholic bishops denying Communion to politicians who do not support the Church's position on abortion with legislation, one would almost wonder if they're trying to ration the wafers for some ( Read more... )

Prior to posting this, I'd like to state that I was baptized Catholic. My mother is Catholic, and was taught by nuns. My maternal grandparents were devout members of the Catholic Church, and helped build a local one before they died. Although I personally identify as Episcopalian (admittedly a lax one), I know several Catholics that I count among ( Read more... )

Metafilter culls some good stuff, sometimes. I worked on a Bill Moyers project years ago at SCETV, but I hadn't thought about him for a while. I found this essay on belief, holy wars, and the current state of democracy to be thought-provoking. Preserved behind the LJ-cut for posterity.

( Democracy in the Balance )

I'll preface this with an apology: I don't like sweeping generalizations, and I try scrupulously to avoid them 99% of the time. Also, I'm not meaning to be offensive. I'm sure there are numerous exceptions out there ( Read more... )

I'm mostly still spluttering incoherently after reading Terrance's entry on the decision by Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn to deny the Unitarian Universalists tax-exempt status. Just who does she think she is, to contravene the U.S. Constitution so ( Read more... )

For those of us fond of 80s music and who remember the event, this is pretty nifty:

Live Aid Finally Gets DVD Release

More DVD releases:

Return of the King Will Go to DVD Quicker (regular version May 25th; extended version at the end of 2004)

The Future of Ghibli US Releases

In other historic news . . .

Gay Bishop Takes Up PostAnd finally, a ( Read more... )

[sarcasm] 'cause y'know, if the preacher says it, that just automatically makes it right[/sarcasm]:

Religious Beliefs Underpin Opposition to Homosexuality