Behold, the first Underdownian Point of Inquiry episode, interviewing the personal hero of just about everyone at CFI, TIES director Bertha Vazquez!

Hey, you know the new Congress is in session (sort of, shutdown and all). Why not let them know you exist, “you” being part of the secular constituency.

James McGough at the LA Times says Alito’s statement from the football coach prayer case this week signals that they’re itching to sanctify RFRA, and bake religious privilege into the Constitution.

The journal Secularism & Nonreligion releases a special issue on “the growth and development of historiography about both Secularism and the wider secular movement since the onset of the nineteenth century.”

Former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama is now out of prison, having served almost two years for blasphemy.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (right-wing outfit) files suit to challenge New York City’s ban on gay-conversion therapy. Hail Hydra.

This is, like, the worst story ever maybe? Creepiest? Grossest? A former Christian rapper (from the group “Sleeplessouljaz”) is implicated in impregnating the incapacitated 29-year-old nursing home patient in Phoenix.

A bill in the Connecticut legislature would “eliminate climate change materials” from Next Generation Science Standards. I’m thinking that won’t fly in one of the bluest of blue states, but I have learned not to take these things for granted.

Thousands of young students in Australia marched earlier today to demand action on climate change. The government seems not to be pleased. Via The Guardian:

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, had earlier this week urged students this week not to take part and told them to be “less activist”.

On Friday, the resources minister Matt Canavan said he would prefer students to learn about mining and science. […] “The best thing you’ll learn about going to a protest is how to join the dole queue.”

Ray Comfort and Ken Ham (boy those names sound even weirder together) are going to hold an event to answer questions from atheists and NO THANKS I’VE GOT A THING TOTALLY CAN’T MAKE IT YOU HAVE FUN THOUGH.

Quote of the Day

At NYT, Jesus Land author Julia Scheeres contemplates her childhood in a fundamentalist Christian family, and her secular approach to raising her own kids:

…after years of living a “secular” life, I realized that my notion of sin has evolved. As a girl, my focus was on gaining admittance to heaven. Now I believe that this life is the only life we’ll know; this planet, our only existence. I am no longer motivated by fear of an unproven hell, but by real-world concerns about injustice and inequality. […] I am raising my two daughters according to my moral code. To me, the greatest sin of all is failing to be an engaged citizen of the world, so the lessons are about being open to others rather than closed off.

* * *

Linking to a story or webpage does not imply endorsement by Paul or CFI. Not every use of quotation marks is ironic or sarcastic, but it often is.