Semi-daily tidbits 14/10/2009

Crucified Ape Unveiled in London (Times Online)
More edgy - more likely to offend, at any rate - is The Privilege of Dominion, in which a waxwork ape appears nailed to a cross. "At the rate we're killing them all the lowland gorillas will be dead by the year 2020," says Fryer. "Do animals have souls? What a question. We should be asking the same question of ourselves."

The Assclown Offensive: How to Enrage the Church of Scientology (Wired)
"Hello, leaders of Scientology. We are Anonymous," the clip began in a robotic, software-generated voice-over accompanied by stock footage of clouds rolling over desolate cityscapes. "Your campaigns of misinformation, your suppression of dissent, your litigious nature: All of these things have caught our eye," the voice explained. "For the good of your followers, for the good of mankind—and for our own enjoyment—we shall proceed to expel you from the Internet and systematically dismantle the Church of Scientology in its present form." The message ended, as it had begun, on a pitch-perfect note of sci-fi comic book menace: "We are Legion," the robot voice intoned. "We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us."

The ecocidal moment (Guardian.co.uk)
Rowan Williams: "How do we live in a way that honours rather than endangers the life of our planet? Or, to put it slightly differently, how do we live in a way that shows an understanding that we genuinely live in a shared world, not one that simply belongs to us? This would be a good question even if we were not faced with the threats associated with global warming, with the reduction of biodiversity, with desertification and deforestation, with fuel and food shortages."

God in the Box
Synopsis: God in the Box is a documentary film, which explores the mystery and controversy behind what God looks like and means to us as Americans in the 21st century. In the midst of today's fractured and confusing claims on God, the film asserts two basic questions: What does God mean to you? What does God look like, to you?
The filmmakers embark on a cross-cuntry journey with their small, mobile studio (and main character), The Box. they invite people to step inside and share what they see in the mind's eye, and if possible, draw what God looks like to them. Along their journey, the filmmakers set The Box up on iconic street corners and diverse locations across America.
A remarkable collection of scholars, archeologists and religious leaders help examine the material and put it into a historical and relevant context. The surprises and revelations about our current interpretations of God come to light, as small glimpses inside the minds of others helps illuminate a much bigger picture.

Abortion Foes Tell of Their Journeys to the Streets (NY Times)
Together, these street activists make up an assertive minority of a few thousand people within the larger anti-abortion movement. Neither the best financed nor largest element in the mix, they are nonetheless the only face of anti-abortion that many Americans see. Indeed, persistent provocation is their defining attribute: day after day on street corners from California to Massachusetts, they stand like town criers, calling to women walking into abortion clinics, or waving graphic signs as disturbing as they are impossible to ignore.

Believing in God and Evolution (Inside Higher Ed)
[T]here is ... a theological and scientific struggle taking place at Christian colleges. Some professors, with support from prominent scientists, are trying to defend the teaching of evolution and to make it safe for those who teach biology and the Bible to talk about ways in which belief in evolution need not represent an abandonment of faith. Many Christian colleges have statements of faith -- which in some cases must be followed by all students and faculty members -- that endorse the literal truth of the Bible or of specific parts of the Bible (six literal days of creation, for example, or that Adam and Eve are the parents of all humans). So teaching evolution as scientific fact, which would just be taken for granted at many non-Christian colleges and universities, raises all kinds of delicate issues.

The Salvation Army has toppled Google to become the most trusted brand in Australia

One Baptist Church To Celebrate Halloween By Burning Bibles

Quote of the day

Yo, God, this creation thing is great, and Imma let you finish, but I just wanted to say that Phil Collins had the best Genesis of all time.