World Atheism

New piece on Deviantart

1 per cent of Germans think Islam is most peaceful religion

"A study carried out for the news magazine Der Spiegel showed that 44 per cent of those questioned saw the Tibetan spiritual and secular leader as a role model, while only 42 per cent attributed the same qualities to the pope.
The Dalai Lama enjoyed a particularly high popularity rating among the young and better educated, according to the survey by the TNS research organization.

[...]

Asked what they thought was the "most peaceful religion," 43 per cent opted for Buddhism, while 41 per cent chose Christianity. Only 1 per cent picked Islam."

dw-world.de, 14.07.2007

The Vatican urges boycott of Amnesty International

"The Vatican has urged all Catholics to stop donating money to Amnesty International, accusing the human rights group of promoting abortion."

BBC, 14 June 2007

I had been thinking for a while about joining Amnesty, but imagine what I did after hearing about this... That's right, I joined Amnesty!

So fuck you pope Benedict and your paedophile church!

Please join Amnesty
Italian catholics, leave the church here.
Read about the Vatican's cover-up

Debaptism 2.0: Fleeing the Flock Via the Net

"Disgruntled Italian Catholics are increasingly turning to the internet to leave the Church by getting "debaptized" -- but typically, the Pope isn't making the process web friendly. Cyberspace is one of the few places lapsed Catholics can get a copy of the formal letter called "actus defectionis" that is required by Church officials to leave the faith. One such letter, downloaded 30,000 times, is the main attraction at the Italian Union of Rationalists and Agnostics, or UAAR, website."

Wired.com 06.07.07

[Vatican, paedophiles] An Open Letter to Amnesty International from Trevor Blake

"This letter demonstrates that Vatican City, by way of the Roman Catholic Church, has systematically sheltered child abusers for decades."

It's from 2005, and not exactly news, but well worth reading!

Pope is warned of a green Antichrist

"An arch-conservative cardinal chosen by the Pope to deliver this year's Lenten meditations to the Vatican hierarchy has caused consternation by giving warning of an Antichrist who is "a pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist". "

The Times, March 2, 2007

Vatican boycotts Holocaust remembrance

"· Shock as envoy rejects invite to Jerusalem service
· Row grows over reference to pope's wartime role

The Vatican ambassador to Israel has sparked a row after refusing to attend tomorrow's annual Holocaust memorial service in Jerusalem in protest at a description of the wartime role of Pope Pius XII.

[...]

The text notes that Pius XII's reaction to the Holocaust is controversial and states: "When he was elected pope in 1939, he shelved a letter against racism and anti-semitism that his predecessor had prepared. Even when reports about the murder of Jews reached the Vatican the Pope did not protest either verbally or in writing." The description also says Pius XII chose not to sign a December 1942 Allied declaration condemning the extermination of Jews and did not intervene when Jews were deported from Rome to Auschwitz."

The Guardian, Saturday April 14, 2007

Pope Slams EU for Excluding God

Pope Benedict has come down hard on the EU for excluding any reference to God and the Christian heritage of Europe in a declaration to mark the 50th anniversary of its founding treaty on Sunday.

[...]

"Does not this unique form of apostasy of itself, even before God, lead it (Europe) to doubt its very identity?"

[...]

“Europe's Judeo-Christian roots and common cultural heritage, as well as the classic and humanist history of Europe and the achievements of the period of enlightenment, are the foundation of our political family," said the statement.

Christianity Today, March 25, 2007

Some nerve to say that the enlightment was thanks to Christianity when in fact the enlightment was the first step of secularism?

See also:

"Pope Benedict XVI: European Secularism is a Form of Apostasy

The Catholic Church continues to have trouble with the increasing secularism and secularization of Europe. People just don't have as much use or need for religion and traditional churches like they used to, and this has been difficult for ecclesiastical leaders to accept. Recently, an anniversary declaration about the EU failed to mention Christianity and this caused Pope Benedict XVI to throw a fit."

ahteism.about.com