(Because it has been a while since the last link bomb, this will be the biggest one yet—a nuclear link bomb, if you will.)

South Park’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are about to unveil their first broadway musical, The Book of Mormon (it premieres at the end of February). The show tells the story of two young LDS missionaries who are sent to Uganda and quickly realize that their faith doesn’t equip them with answers to the suffering they encounter there. I’m excited to see it, but Mormons’ reactions are mixed.

Atheism is on the rise in the West, but in China, where there has been state-imposed atheism for decades, theism is stronger than ever. Eighty-five percent of Chinese either hold some religious beliefs or practice some kind of religion.

While an open revolution is underway in Egypt, there is a covert one here in America. Or so many on the Religious Right would have you believe. Conservatives worry that Muslims are sneaking Sharia law into the US through the commercial introduction of Halal foods.

The president of a Florida atheist group was ejected from a city council meeting because the mayor was offended by their t-shirt that read: “One Nation, Indivisible.”

The best torrent on the web isn’t a music download or pornography. This torrent includes dozens of texts relating to Mormonism, including academic articles, legal documents, and key LDS talks, manuals, and pamphlets.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley may soon sponsor legislation to reform or remove religious and charitable organizations’ tax-exempt status. He argues the status quo is rife with abuses, and increased accountability and transparency is needed.

Check up on the “I’m an Ex-Mormon” campaign. There have been several new and compelling videos.

A study by the National Center of Education Statistics finds that 60% of science teachers in America are afraid to teach evolution, and 13% explicitly advocate creationism and intelligent design in the classroom.

Secular philosopher Daniel C. Dennett spoke to a conference of Canadian atheists and humanist about what should replace religion, if it even could/should be replaced at all.

Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato was brutally murdered on Thursday. His name was published among others in a hit list of the “top 100 homosexuals” in Uganda. Uganda’s homophobia made headlines in late 2009, when a bill was proposed to make homosexuality a capital offense punishable by death.

A homeless shelter in Georgia, ironically named the House of Mercy, won’t offer refuge to homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people. This despite the fact that 20-40% of the homeless youth population is LGBT. Also in Georgia, a Christian group attempts to burn a man alive for being gay.

Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins and James Randi thoroughly debunk Astrology.

Christopher Hitchens’ latest interview with C-SPAN is pretty disheartening. He doesn’t look or sound very good. His cancer is now at stage 4 (there is no stage 5). You can write Hitchens’ a letter of well-wishing and thanks here.

A mentally-disturbed woman hanged and burned her nephew’s (‘devil’) dog for chewing on the Bible. The joke’s on her though, because all dogs go to heaven.

In a recent New York Times op-ed, UCLA philosophy professor Tyler Burge contends that media reports about psychological and neurological findings are often guilty of exaggeration and reductionism.

The winners of the 2010 Brodie Awards have been declared. The SHAFT blog won in 3 of the 6 categories in which we were nominated! Thanks for your support. Be sure to read the other winning entries; there’s a lot of quality material.

Ben Goldacre at Nerdstock discusses a curious discovery: placebos are getting more effective.

Uh oh. Robots have evolved the ability to lie, and autonomous killer robots are right around the corner.

Last Sunday’s Deseret News boasted that by 2080, there will be nearly 270 million Mormons. I’m skeptical, but it’s possible. I would almost welcome that kind of growth. The more Mormons there are, the more ex-Mormons there will be, and thus the larger SHAFT’s audience! (Though I hope, for my sake, I’m not still writing for this blog in 2080. Ha ha.)

Soldiers are required to take a ‘spiritual fitness test’, and if they fail (that is, if they do not generally conform to the evangelical brand of Christianity that is predominant within the military) they have to meet with a chaplain.

If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters Exorcists. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that exorcism is back, and not just in Hollywood.

The American Atheists student scholarship deadline in January 31st. Apply! The winner is awarded $2,000 dollars, and the two runner-ups a $1,000 dollars each.

A new year, a new link bomb.

Philosopher Nicholas Everitt discusses God’s various attributes (omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, omnibenovelence) and their incompatibility. Everitt recommends that theists tweak these traditional attributes, and some Mormon thinkers have done just that.

I’m not very persuasive, and the movie Inception explains why.

Before 1971, less than one percent of Canadians reported having “no religion” on national surveys. Today, nearly a quarter say they aren’t religious. Secularism is making advances in the United States as well, with an overwhelming majority of Americans (70%) feeling that religion’s influence is on the decline. A recent study, though, claims that America isn’t becoming less religious, only more honest. Despite all our pious professions, we Americans don’t act more religious than our European and Canadian counterparts.

None of this spells religion’s demise, however. If birth rates are any indication, atheists are a dying breed.

The 20 most interesting studies on religion from 2008-2010.

Another study that has been receiving a lot of press was done by BYU. The study claims that those who wait until marriage to have sex are more likely to enjoy healthier marriages. The study’s conclusion may well be true, but its methodology is seriously flawed.

Atheists have a diversity problem. A survey of the members of the Freedom From Religion Foundation found that 95% were white, and the majority male. Readers of this site don’t fare much better: 88% of SHAFTers are white, and 76% male.

Women are often the most victimized by religion, and yet—as we established above—they are less likely to leave religion. In fact, of the over 100,000 Britons who have converted to Islam, the average convert is a 27-year-old white woman. And while some assume that Mormon women are chaffing under the patriarchy of their church, only 10% of them want the priesthood.

Common Sense Atheism and Debunking Christianity, two of my favorite atheist blogs, compile their best posts of 2010.

Among the most damning evidences against Mormonism, in my opinion, is the botched translation of Egyptian papyri that is the Book of Abraham. A popular apologetic response is that we’ve lost the papyri from which Joseph Smith translated. But new research published in Dialogue, which employed a sophisticated statistical analysis of the papyri, indicates that we possess roughly the entire scroll.

I like to seek out thoughtful arguments against gay marriage; they force me to challenge my gay marriage advocacy and help me play contrarian with my fellow liberals. This case against gay marriage falls short of being compelling, but it is nonetheless worth your consideration.

Mormon Stories is doing a series of podcasts called “Atheism after Mormonism.” You can listen to the first episode here.

I hope Santa didn’t bring you any Power Balance bracelets, because they’re bunk. (I have a friend who manages to sell these with a straight face.)

A fascinating fringe movement: do-it-yourself transhumanism.

From the makers of the Mormon blockbuster The Singles Ward comes The Real Life Singles Ward, a documentary that examines and pokes fun at Mormon dating culture.

You’re welcome for the Facebook fodder.

For those of you who, like me, miss school, Open Culture has a list of 250 free online courses from the top universities in the world.

I prefer comedian Louis C.K.’s take on the Abraham-Isaac story to Kierkegaard’s or Derrida’s. Well, it’s funnier at least.

New research finds that people who think their lives are meaningless still enjoy their lives. Also, while religious people are slightly happier than the non-religious, this is due to social bonding, not spiritual engagement.

The Daily Show on Monday took aim at Fox and its coverage of the supposed War on Christmas.

At his blog, USU philosopher professor Dr. Kleiner shares his thoughts on Apple’s decision to pull an app for having “anti-gay” content. I agree with him that the decision was absurd.

Liberal LDS blogger Marshall Thompson makes the case that Mormons are pro-choice.

Provo, Utah Girls: A (surprisingly funny) Mormon parody of Katy Perry’s California Girls.

A high school student is now being homeschooled, because his personal finance class required that he read Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. It’s a must-read book about poverty in America, but controversial at parts. Here is the offending paragraph:

“It would be nice if someone would read this sad-eyed crowd the Sermon on the Mount, accompanied by a rousing commentary on income inequality and the need for a hike in the minimum wage. But Jesus makes his appearance here only as a corpse; the living man, the wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist, is never once mentioned, nor anything he ever had to say. Christ crucified rules, and it may be that the true business of modern Christianity is to crucify him again and again so that he can never get a word out of his mouth …”

As per Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, a Christian Pakistani woman is on death row for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad. And a Palestinian atheist is jailed for a month for criticizing Islam on the internet.

A Texas atheist group participated in a local Christmas parade as—get this!—a vuvuzela marching band. Controversy ensued.

Atheism is on the rise in Indonesia. We’ve also discussed atheism’s rise in the US at this blog. These are encouraging developments, but we ought to temper our optimism about the demise of religion.

A note to my fellow Mormon studies nerds at USU: On December 9 from 4:30-7:00 PM in Old Main 340, there will be a graduate seminar called “Mormon Encounters in Religion.” Ten graduate students will present on Mormonism’s relationships with other faith traditions.

Also this week, George Handley, professor of humanities at BYU, is hosting a conversation about environmental stewardship and Mormonism. This will be held on Friday, December 10 at 7:00 pm at the Crumb Brothers Bakery (291 S 300 W). There is no cost, but space is limited and registration is required. To RSVP, call 435-755-3239 or click here.

A letter to the editor published in the Salt Lake Tribune earlier this week claims, “Yes, gays can change.”

Christopher Hitchens, ever a stalwart defender of free speech, calls WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange “an unscrupulous megalomaniac.” Assange was arrested the other day under a Swedish law that prohibits sex without a condom (yes, really), but the US wants to prosecute him for publishing confidential diplomatic and defense information.

The question that stumps many pro-life activists.

The latest apocalyptic prediction: the Second Coming will happen May 21, 2011. Mark your calendars.

The same-sex partner of a slain Missouri cop will not receive survivor benefits, despite their having been a couple for 15 years, owning a home, and raising a kid together.

A Noah’s Ark theme park is planned in Kentucky. Plans include the construction of a full-size replica of Noah’s ark, and the project has been promised generous tax subsidies.

Two Philadelphia parents are being tried for the death of their toddler, who died of pneumonia last year. The parents forewent medical care for the child, opting instead to pray for his recovery.

A post-game interview with an atheist football player.

A study suggests that the Catholic Church in Germany engaged in a “systematic cover-up” to protect priests accused of sexual abuse. Only half of Americans rate clergy as ethical; I suspect the largely secular German people have an even less favorable view of clergy.

The top 10 daily consequences of having evolved.

Mormon blogger Joanna Brooks argues that the election of Mike Lee represents a decline in Mormon conservative intellectualism.

Thanks to Obama’s Faith-Based Office, at least $140 million dollars in stimulus money went to religious organizations.

A recent Newsweek article calls Utah “the new economic Zion”, because it has been largely insulated from the bad economy. Part of that is Utah’s low corporate taxes, making it a hospitable environment for business. And Newsweek attributes the rest to the Mormon work ethic.

The Truant (satirical) headline: “Pearl of Great Price” not worth that much after all”.

Some recently declassified FBI files shed light on conservative firebrand and Mormon leader Ezra Taft Benson’s relationships with the Eisenhower and the John Birch Society.

The Catholic blog “First Things” explains why the phrase “I’m spiritual, but not religious” is vacuous. “The word “spiritual” has no useful meaning if it does not refer to a relation to a real spirit … It’s not a useful word if it means a general inclination or shape of mind or emotional pattern or set of attitudes or collection of values. There is no reason to call any of these spiritual.”

The Center for Inquiry’s resident philosopher John Shook provides a detailed overview of the various naturalisms.

The LDS Church takes another stand on a hot-button political issue, and this time I agree with them. The church came out in support of comprehensive immigration reform.

A major study by renown sociologist Robert Putnam finds that Mormons are among the most devout religious groups, among the most likely to keep their faith as an adult, are unusually charitable, and have relatively positive and pluralistic views of other religions.

In his new book, the Pope condones condom use in exceptional cases. Well, kind of.

A father in Indiana is denied custody rights of his children because he is an agnostic. Absurd.

This YouTuber advocates a boycott of the Salvation Army this holiday season, because of its religious opposition to gay marriage and anti-discrimination ordinances.

Mormon apologist and Islam expert Daniel C. Peterson, in an online discussion board, writes, “I’m not sure whether Muhammad was a prophet or not. I’m reasonably confident that he received inspiration from God.”

A new study finds that Utah lags behind all other states in attainment of college degrees by women.

Philosopher Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScola of Tufts University release a landmark study on atheist clergy—priests and pastors who secretly disbelieve, yet continue to preach the Christian gospel. Dennett claims that this is a fairly common phenomenon. I’d argue, though, that the LDS Church doesn’t have this problem, as its leadership consists of lay members who, unlike most Christian clergy, don’t undergo religious/theological education.

Evolutionary biologist and philosopher Massimo Pigliucci worries that science vs. philosophy will be the next big culture war.

Andrew S. of Irresistible (Dis)Grace asks whether most Mormons even care about the truth.

France is starting to teach philosophy in school to kids as young as four. Let’s just hope they’re not reading Nietzsche quite yet. Then in the UK, you have Islamic schools that are teaching children how to cut of thieves’ hands and that there is a Jewish plot for world domination.

The New Scientist has compiled their best articles on the science of morality into one special report.

Lastly, something to think about this Thanksgiving: The weird evolutionary story of cranberries.