At least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary, according to reports.

Alarmed health authorities in India’s Kottayam district have set up a sign dispelling rumours of a miraculous image in the sky and warning of the dangers of looking into direct sunlight.

Forty-eight cases of sight-loss, allegedly caused by photochemical burns on the retina, have been recorded at St Joseph’s ENT and Eye hospital in the region since Friday.

Despite warnings, and the potentially harmful effects of their actions, believers are allegedly still flocking to a hotelier’s house in Erumeli near where the divine image is said to have appeared.

“All our patients have similar history and symptoms… They have developed photochemical, not thermal, burns after continuously gazing at the sun,” Dr Annamma James Isaac, the hospital’s ophthalmologist said.

Even churches in the area have disowned the miracle after health officers and doctors approached the clergy.

The house where the miracle is said to have occurred has apparently been the subject of rumours for months.

The hotelier, who has since moved, had claimed that statues of the Virgin Mary in his house have been crying honey and bleeding oils and perfumes. Source

A 3-ft.-high tablet romantically dubbed “Gabriel’s Revelation” could challenge the uniqueness of the idea of the Christian Resurrection. The tablet appears to date authentically to the years just before the birth of Jesus and yet — at least according to one Israeli scholar — it announces the raising of a messiah after three days in the grave. If true, this could mean that Jesus’ followers had access to a well-established paradigm when they decreed that Christ himself rose on the third day — and it might even hint that they they could have applied it in their grief after their master was crucified. Keep reading at Time.com

Of course, if you know your history, or have seen the movie Zeitgeist, you’d know that the Christians took a lot of mythology from past religions and deities, including being born upon a virgin, the date of Jesus’ birth, the miracles he could perform, etc. If you’ve not watched the video, go watch it now.

Rumor has it another major actor is pushing Scientology now. None other than Will Smith has been linked to the religion lately. I’ve always thought Will Smith was fairly smart (besides in his decision to do Wild Wild West). He’s a great actor, in roles such as in The Legend of Bagger Vance and The Pursuit of Happyness and the action films that made him a bona fide star, like Bad Boys and Men in Black. Sadly, if this movie is true, I’ll never be able to see him or his movies the same way again. Anyone who believes in their beliefs must be completely insane. Of course, I also think that all organized religions dupe people. Scientology is just the craziest of them all.

EDIT: Oh, and if you want the beliefs in a nutshell, South Park actually did a great rundown of what they believe. They aren’t dramatizing the beliefs at all. It is what they actually believe.

9 – You feel insulted and “dehumanized” when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 – You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7 – Your face turns purple when you hear of the “atrocities” attributed to Allah, but you don’t even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in “Exodus” and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in “Joshua” including women, children, and trees!

6 – You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 – You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4 – You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs — though excluding those in all rival sects – will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most “tolerant” and “loving.”

3 – While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in “tongues” may be all the evidence you need to “prove” Christianity.

2 – You define 0.01% as a “high success rate” when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 – You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history – but still call yourself a Christian.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., earmarked $100,000 in a spending bill for a Louisiana Christian group that has challenged the teaching of Darwinian evolution in the public school system and to which he has political ties.

The earmark appears to be the latest salvo in a decades-long battle over science education in Louisiana, in which some Christian groups have opposed the teaching of evolution and, more recently, have pushed to have it prominently labeled as a theory with other alternatives presented. Educators and others have decried the movement as a backdoor effort to inject religious teachings into the classroom. Source

This is so sad. First off, the Constitution says that the government shall not favor any religion, and by allowing the teaching of Creationist Theory, they are doing exactly that. They should also label Intelligent Design as a theory based on faith and not a theory in scientific terms. It has no scientific backing, whereas evolution is something that is seen all throughout nature over and over with data to back it up. Secondly, if they want to show other theories, then they must include all, including the theory of The Flying Spaghetti Monster, Scientology, and others. Not everyone has the same creationist theory that Christians have and by including their’s and not that of other religions they are stepping on the Constitution, something that is already being done by giving your tax money to religious groups to promote their religion to begin with. It seems the Constitution no longer matters. *sigh*

It sounds like the short, fat DJ, who keeps calling the guy on the phone “Jackass”, is attacking Scientology while defending Christianity.

So lemme get this straight, its NOT ok to believe in a made up religion where alien beings from a planet called “Xenu” implanted their souls into volcanoes,

BUT it IS ok to believe that a mythical anthropomorphic, self paranoid ego-manic “Bible-God” impregnated a virgin in order to give birth to himself in order to be sacrificed to himself in order to sit beside himself in order to save the world from himself as some kind of sadistic experiment in self replicating redemption by fillings the heads of precious innocent impressionable children with disturbing stories of hell and damnation and devils and eternal suffering.

Are magical invisible green elephants who control the universe from their homes inside doorknobs any less real in the minds of psychopaths in insane asylums?

All these psychotic nutbags need to seek professional help.

There is no “abortion industry.” There aren’t people sitting around in board meetings plotting on how to get abortions up so their profits rise. They aren’t marketing abortions to women. I don’t even know how people can believe this garbage. Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that the Catholic religion is the one true religion and that Catholic sex abuse is just the porn industry targeting priests. Give me a break.

“The Register is reporting that the UK government has stated there is no place in the science curriculum for Intelligent Design and that it can not be taught as science. ‘The Government is aware that a number of concerns have been raised in the media and elsewhere as to whether creationism and intelligent design have a place in science lessons. The Government is clear that creationism and intelligent design are not part of the science National Curriculum programs of study and should not be taught as science.’” via slashdot

A Romanian priest has been jailed for 14 years for conducting an exorcism that led to the death of a nun who he believed was possessed by devils. Irina Cornici, 23, died after being starved and chained to a cross at a secluded convent in the north-east.

The ritual in 2005 was led by Daniel Petru Corogeanu, 31, the priest at the Holy Trinity convent in Tanacu village. He and four nuns were convicted of manslaughter. The nuns got jail terms ranging from five to eight years. Nicoleta Arcalianu got eight years, while Adina Cepraga, Elena Otel and Simona Bardana were given five-year sentences. All the defendants plan to appeal against the verdict in a case which has shocked Romania. The Orthodox Church, which described the Tanacu incident as “abominable”, has promised reforms, including psychological tests for those seeking to enter monasteries. It banned Corogeanu from the priesthood and excommunicated the four nuns.

In 1999, when the Vatican issued its first new guidelines since 1614 for driving out devils, it urged priests to take modern psychiatry into account in deciding who should be exorcised. After hearing the sentence, Corogeanu said: “We will appeal and hope that it will succeed. We didn’t expect this sentence, but this is the judge’s decision. We will pray to God for help.” Dozens of Corogeanu’s supporters packed the courtroom and several burst into tears when the verdict was announced, AP news agency reported. BBC News

Now, all we need to do is knock some sense into the rest of the religious wackos in the world. :)

EDIT: Just an update, I contacted the site’s host, DreamHost and they said they support free speech. This is understandable. I, however, doubt it has anything to do with free speech and more to do with them making money from a client. That’s just how DH operates. Even if the hate speech can incite hate crimes (which, if you look at the wikipedia entry posted in the comments by Mike, actually has happened). This lead me to post some terms in which I explain I have no affiliation with the content on sites using my theme. Kind of an obvious thing, but I just want to cover my bases.

The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims.

“There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion,” Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.

Referring to the existence of cannabis in anointing oils used in ceremonies, he added: “Obviously the easy availability and long-established tradition of cannabis in early Judaism _ would inevitably have included it in the [Christian] mixtures.”

Mr Bennett suggests those anointed with the oils used by Jesus were “literally drenched in this potent mixture _ Although most modern people choose to smoke or eat pot, when its active ingredients are transferred into an oil-based carrier, it can also be absorbed through the skin”.

Quoting the New Testament, Mr Bennett argues that Jesus anointed his disciples with the oil and encouraged them to do the same with other followers. This could have been responsible for healing eye and skin diseases referred to in the Gospels.

“If cannabis was one of the main ingredients of the ancient anointing oil _ and receiving this oil is what made Jesus the Christ and his followers Christians, then persecuting those who use cannabis could be considered anti-Christ,” Mr Bennett concludes. Source: Guardian Unlimited

I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design to be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him. Read More…

A trainee nun who was crucified in an exorcism at a monastery in eastern Romania and left to die has been buried in a religious ceremony.

The novice, Maricica Irina Cornici, died last week after being tied to a cross, gagged and starved.

Principal monk Daniel Petru Corogeanu, who said the novice was possessed by the devil, has been charged with false imprisonment leading to death.

The Orthodox Church has condemned the incident and suspended him.

Father Daniel has so far refused to stop work at the Holy Trinity monastery in Tanacu.

Another novice from the monastery, Iustina Galca, told the BBC that the nuns had not even given Ms Cornici water during her ordeal.

When asked if the nuns had tried to protest against the woman’s treatment, she said they had all obeyed the priest.

‘Schizophrenic’

Members of the convent claim Ms Cornici was possessed and that the crucifixion had been part of an exorcism ritual.

Four nuns have also been charged with imprisonment leading to death for helping Father Daniel to perform the rite.

The five accused could face 20 years in jail if found guilty of the nun’s death.

She was found dead on the cross on Wednesday after fellow nuns called an ambulance, according to police.

A first autopsy concluded the nun died due to dehydration, exhaustion and lack of oxygen, state news agency Rompres reported.

The young woman, who grew up in an orphanage and was in her early 20s, is said to have arrived at the remote convent three months before.

She was reported to suffer from schizophrenia. It is thought the symptoms of her condition may have led the priest and other nuns to believe she was possessed by the devil.

Source

UPDATE: Corogeanu Jailed