Hilarious.

(Thanks Kerry)

It’s been a bad week for the church-cult of Scientology, and Marina Hyde from The Guardian argues that the internet has played a significant role in its downfall. Hyde then ponders the question, if indeed the free and open exchange of ideas and content enabled by the net has been pivotal to exposing the whacky beliefs and practices of the cult, how long will it be before mainstream religions are met with a similar fate?

The internet has done for Scientology. Could it rumble the Christians, too? | The Guardian | Oct 30th 2009

Draw near, infidels, for these are dark days for the Knights of Hubbard. Do not despair entirely – the Church of Scientology remains insanely rich, has excellent and rapacious lawyers, and according to the International Scientology News, “every minute of every hour, someone reaches for L Ron Hubbard technology … simply because they know Tom Cruise is a Scientologist”. So unless the world’s supply of troubled fools is melting away quicker than the Arctic ice cap, they can probably hold off trying to lure disaffected Kabbalists into their cultish communion, after the fashion of Pope Benedict and the Anglicans. And yet, all things considered, it has not been the best of weeks for our operating thetans. [more]

The latest Carnival of the Godless is up at Nonreligious Nerd.

Go take a look and read some fantastic posts by some fantastic authors.

My favourites:

It’s Okay Not To Believe at Correr Es Me Destino

Best line ever: “But to me, going door to door trying to explain people they are going to hell is about as useless as a telemarketer who is calling at 11:00 pm to sell AIG stocks.”

Moses Goes Down (in flames) In the Promised Land at Waiting For The Singularity

A concise logical attack on the core characters of the Jewish religious narrative.  Reading this post is like giving a hyperactive child a machete in a room piled high with scrolls of the Torah and watching as he gleefully shreds every scrap of paper he sees.

Martyrdom and the Victim Mentality of Christians at Disillusioned Words

A brutal smackdown of those Christians who insist that Atheists are oppressing them around every corner.  And it uses statistics!

Go read the whole blog carnival over at Nonreligious Nerd!

And if you have an Atheist-themed blog, don’t forget to make a regular habit of submitting your best posts here.