Ever wonder what life might be like living in a Christian theocratic society? Would non-believers be banished to the hinterlands, eliminated or forced to convert? Blog Against Theocracy contributor Qassandra at One Act in the Eternal Play of Ideas uses fiction to take us into the mind of a young woman living under the "Government of the Righteous".

My soul supervisor and district minister, Reverend Billy, has suggested that I take this Good Friday to reflect upon the sins I committed when citizens such as myself were allowed to live in an unredeemed state, before the election of the Government of the Righteous.

Read the rest: Part 1 and Part 2 .

Edit - April 8 / 07: Part 3 .

Good Friday Link: Psychotherapist Peter Michaelson puts forth the idea that Creationism is a response to people's sense of low self-worth.

In a mostly unconscious process, these individuals are desperate to feel recognized and validated by something bigger and better than them. God just happens to do the trick. This desperation for recognition arises out of their underdeveloped sense of self. Even their great hunger for salvation is a craving for rescue from such an impoverished experience of self.

Read the article: Peter Michaelson: A Psychological Exposé of Creationism's Secret Genesis.

In a review titled Conspicuous By His Absence, reviewer David Ludden praises Victor Stenger's latest book, God: The Failed Hypothesis at Skeptic magazine. Mr. Ludden summarizes a few of Stenger's rebuttals of theist arguments for the existence of God and suggests that Stenger's book should be kept next to Dawkins' The God Delusion on every freethinker's bookshelf.

Edit - April 6 / 07 - Another positive review at The Secular Web.

Boy, Holy Week sure is going by fast! It's Wednesday already. Time flies when you're having fun. Anyhow, there's an article at The Onion that details Jesus Christ's daily training regimen as he prepares for the second coming.

"If every eye is going to see Me, and all the tribes of earth are going to wail on account of Me, I think I owe it to them and to Myself to be in the best shape of My life," Christ said. "Right now I'm up to 35 minutes at seven [miles per hour] on the treadmill and benching about 165 [pounds]."

Read the article: Christ Getting In Shape For Second Coming.

Thanks to The Friendly Atheist.

Continuing with the Holy Week theme, I'd like to point to a post over at God Is For Suckers! Poster, Stardust uses a fun little quote from Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth to illustrate how Christians cherry pick from the bible to support their beliefs: A pleasant tale with a touch of pathos.

I forgot to mention that yesterday was the start of Holy Week. So, in recognition that it is indeed Holy Week, here's a link to a Toronto Star article concerning the ongoing Evolution / Intelligent Design debate. Brian Alters is alarmed that Intelligent Design is surreptitiously gaining ground in the Canadian public school system.

Alters says informal research by his centre has found that about one-third of teachers report pressure from parents to teach creationism or intelligent design, the theory that God directs the development of life, in the class as an alternative to evolution.

Read the article: Creationism debate continues to evolve.

From Britain's telegraph.co.uk comes a well written article titled It's a devil of a job being Satan. No one knows just how much devilry is required. Anyone whose religious beliefs derive from Old Testament mythology would do well to read the article.

And now for some Sunday fun.

Let’s start with Mr. Deity and Larry expressing outrage about an unauthorized billboard advertizing Mr. Deity’s book. Mr. Deity Episode 9: Mr. Deity and the Book .

And, with some good old fashioned vulgarity, George Carlin discusses religion and reduces The Ten Commandments to two as only George Carlin can.

It would seem that there is a movement afoot to create a blogswarm on Easter weekend to promote the separation of church and state. From Blog Against Theocracy:

"This is a blogswarm dedicated to the separation of church and state, which will be held Easter Weekend, April 6-8, 2007."

There are more great Blog Against Theocracy logos at I Speak of Dreams.

Should make for an interesting Easter.

FAC president assaulted at Ryerson

Troubling news: our president Justin Trottier, who also directs CFIO (Center for Inquiry Ontario), was attacked Tuesday night while out postering with fellow FAC member Peter Aruja. The assailants were apparently provoked by the promotion of a pro-atheist event.

Press release follows; please spread the news. We need to speak up about discrimination!

Read the full press release here: FAC president assaulted at Ryerson