Friday, 17 May 2013 06:45 Written by Jim Denison

It was a scene from a horror movie.  Rain was blowing sideways, tornado warning sirens were blaring, and baseball-sized hailstones were falling.  And that was at our home, which turned out to be far from the danger zone.

You may have heard about the storms that attacked our part of the world Wednesday night.  Numerous deaths and extensive damage resulted from at least three tornadoes.  More than 250 people were evacuated from one neighborhood.  Global news sources from England and beyond have reported on the tragedy.

Thursday, 16 May 2013 06:45 Written by Jim Denison

Tim Tebow is America's most famous unemployed athlete.  Since his release from the New York Jets, the Heisman Trophy winner has been without a team.  What are his plans?

Last week, during a speech at Lake Michigan College, the quarterback told the crowd how he sees his future: "What I want to do with my life is impacting lives.  When a kid in a hospital is fighting for his life and I'm trying to win a football game, what really matters?  This game isn't as important as a lot of us make it out to be.  If I can give him a little bit of hope, I can do something that matters.  That's what I want my legacy to be about.  That's how I want to be remembered."

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 06:45 Written by Jim Denison

"Good Boy Scouts Don't Need God," declares the headline in USA Today.  According to the author, dropping the requirement that Scouts believe in God is "the right thing to do."  He quotes the president of the Freethought Society, who "is leveraging the new focus on Boy Scout inclusion policies to prompt a fresh look at its ban on atheists."  Now that Scouts will include gay members, she hopes atheists will be next in line.

This is not the first time pressure has been brought against the Scouts on behalf of atheists.  The Freedom From Religion Foundation has petitioned President Obama to advocate for atheist Scouts.  A California bill would remove the BSA's tax exempt status so long as it maintains its position on faith in God.  An editorial in The Washington Post criticized the Scouts for their faith requirement.

Tuesday, 14 May 2013 06:45 Written by Jim Denison

Last Friday, the Internal Revenue Service admitted that it unfairly targeted Tea Party tax exempt applications for additional scrutiny.  The IRS picked cases with "tea party" or "patriot" in their names for further review, a practice it now admits was "an error in judgment."  Two staff members with the ACLU, not an organization known for right-wing sympathies, commented that "even the tea party deserves First Amendment protection."

Now we're learning that the list of criteria for additional scrutiny was not limited to the Tea Party.  Groups focused on government spending, government debt, taxes and education were also unfairly examined.  Even those focused on ways to "make America a better place to live" or criticizing "how the country is being run" were flagged.  It is noteworthy that groups with "progressive" in their name were not targeted similarly.

Monday, 13 May 2013 06:45 Written by Jim Denison

You probably attended church services yesterday.  It's possible that an atheist you know did as well, in a way.  The rise of "atheist churches" is an oxymoronic fact in our culture.

One of the fastest-growing is in London.  Its leader asks, "Why is it that people who are atheists get married in a church?"  He then answers his question: "There is just something about these places, it's a place of worship, where people have gone for more than 400 years and it's the sort of place where your heart can rise up to those inspired things which is great."  Here's my question: What "inspired things" can their hearts "rise up to" if the God who inspired them doesn't exist?