As Funny as Telling a Kid His Parents Died in a Car Crash!

Practical jokes have always interested me.  Not in a "my gosh, I love practical jokes and admire those who pull them" way, but more in a "how low does some fool have to go to get his jollies?" manner.

Practical jokes have been part of mainstream entertainment for years.  Candid Camera hit the airwaves in 1948, and was broadcast in one form or another through 2004.  Punk'd has been a hit on MTV for years.  Scare Tactics and Boiling Points , two of the more vile versions of this type of show, have also had their runs.

Now, christians frequently claim that theirs is a religion of love and peace.  Where in the lexicon of "love and peace" does "scare the crap out of a fellow believer by convincing them that their greatest fear has come true" fall?  A so-called comedian tricks people into believing that the rapture has occurred, but those people were "left behind", taping their horrified reactions.  That's not "love and peace" - that's childishness and downright cruelty!  How funny would it be to tell a child that his parents died in a car crash just to watch his reaction, then tell the kid "ahhh, just kidding."  That's what these cruel SOBs are doing.

While researching these painful shows, I did notice one interesting (but not surprising) tidbit - Candid Camera was last broadcast on PAX between 2001-2004.  PAX TV was launched by a christian who felt there was too much violence and sex on TV.  I guess he also felt there was not enough abject cruelty on TV.

Do We Really Need a Religious Bill of Rights?

That is the question the Dr. Phil Plait, the author of the Bad Astronomy blog, asks here.

Individuals should be able to express themselves in a non-disruptive manner, and a t-shirt that states "Jesus is Lord" is not disruptive (unless the school discriminates against "Allah is Great" or "Satan is my God").  But to let students who are supposed to be learning about the real world (physics, biology, geology) answer with biblical or other religious platitudes is appalling.  And to require that a teacher get away with not teaching, and to do so without any penalty, is atrocious.

I hope that Colorado saves itself from the idiocy that is this foolish act (pdf).

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Update - It appears they saved themselves.... Courtesy (again) of Dr. Phil (the one who does astronomy, not Oprah's sad-eyed puppy).