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POPSShamefull Religious Intollerance That people would be so transparently discriminatory is honestly surprising to me, although it shouldn't be. There is no right to force non-Christians to recite Christian prayers in American public schools. There is no right to put God in the plege. Just like I have no right to force Christians to leave offerings before the statues of the Buddha. But don't get me wrong. This isn't about Christianity. Christianity no where condones this abhorrent and intolerant behavior. This is about the power of discrimination, and it is an addictive social phenomenon. These people would do the exact same thing with another religion. Christianity was just the most convenient vehicle for their hatred at the time. Apparently we still need to change a lot about our society before we can live with our neighbors in peace.
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POPSThe Miracle of Jihad This is the opposite perspective that any American should consider very carefully, especially if they espouse military strategy. Although we see them as "Evil" and "Terrorists" of course, they don't see themselves that way. Since the Napoleon's expedition in Egypt, the Islamic world has found itself besieged by overwhelming European Empires. Although once the dominant force that defeated Europe, with the decline of the Ottoman and Persian Empires, they found themselves weak and helpless against the Europeans. During the 20th century, when much of the Islamic world was colonized, this anxiety became acute. Now, against an overwhelming enemy of superior strength, they are winning back ground. To us it is a disaster, but to them it is a miracle. It is to some in the Islamic world what the American Revolution was for us - a victory of the people. Ask yourself: If I were not blinded by my social context, would I still believe as I do?
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POPSGod isn't the problem, it's the followers that kill me! Ross Douthat raises a very valid criticism of Christopher Htichens' book God is Not Great. Most people attacking religion in books are going after God. I think this is a waste of time, normally promoted by personal grudges and emotional baggage. As a general rule, scientists should never try to prove a negative statement. On the other hand, if Hitchens hasn't answered Douthat's question, allow me to offer my ten cents in the following response:
6
POPSThe Spread of Ideologies: ClipCast v. The Rise of Bengali Islam Although I've always enjoyed using clipmarks as a tool to research social trends and ideologies, with Clipcast, Clipmarks is rapidly becoming a subject worthy of such research itself. Consider this: The effect of making Clipmarks (and it's community of ardent followers) mobile, and capable of organizing in more than one internet context is remarkably similar to the way in which Islam spread over much of South and South Eastern Asia. For those who are interested, I heartily suggest reading Richard Eaton's "The Rise of Islam on the Bengal Frontier." I've clipped its thesis here. It is one of the most interesting and insightfully approaches to understanding the interaction between social and ideological groups. It goes well beyond the coarse but popular theories of war and mercantilism in explaining the reason for Islamic success in a part of the world that America has failed miserably at influencing.
0
POPSThe Orthodox Patriarch visits Greenland Neal Ascherson writes with clear but contemplative prose about the surreal beauty of Greenland as it comes in contact with the surreal union of Religion and Science. An interesting look into the ideas of the much-overlooked Orthodox Christian Churches on the issues of global politics and the environment.
17
POPSDiscovered: Artifacts from the First Temple of Solomon I think the time has come to open up these areas to tastefull, scholastic investigation, so that we can organize and preserve the relics that may be contained here in. Religion need not be at odds with the accumulation of humanistic knowledge, in fact religious significance is often a great complement to the field of archeology, as is archeology to important aspects of ancient religious history.
4
POPSConservatives Do Not Have A Monopoly On Religion
These days the Christian Conservatives have worked really really hard to portray the left as secular enemies of the faith, and spread the myth that one cannot be a good Christian and a political liberal, that the left-wing agenda of using the government to care for the needy, defend freedoms and protect the weak is somehow in fundamental conflict with the teachings of Jesus. Now, I normally don't like to tell Christians how they should interpret their faith, and I'm not going to start now, but I think any Christian should seriously consider the following question: What in the teachings of Jesus would condone discrimination against social pariahs (like gays)? What in the anecdotes in the New Testament would encourage the savage me-first capitalism of Bush's Republican Party? As an outsider, I don't see the connection. Actually, I'd have a sincere interest in how Christianity has become so conflated with conservativism, so if anyone cares to explain their side, I'm all ears.
31
POPSThe Biggest Threat to the West Lies Within Itself, Not with Islam Simon Jenkins on threats to peace and democracy. This defeatism led the American Congress to allow its president to authorise torture and detention without trial in what Senator Robert Byrd called “the slow unravelling of the people’s liberties”. It enabled a British Home Office to curb free speech and habeas corpus. It arms police, fortifies buildings and impedes the free movement of citizens. It makes every Christian suspicious of every Muslim.
12
POPSFundamentalism & Government: There, but for the Grace of the Constitution, Go I It's interesting how much agendas of Christian fundamentalists can overlap with other religious fundamentalists. Obviously, they will never be able to get a completely straight society. Laws and persecution don't make homosexuals go away. Is a society of convenient denial what these religions truly want? In that case they aren't saving souls, they are just insulating themselves from diversity. What is also quite interesting is that the article goes on to talk about Iran's encouragement of homosexuals to undergo sex changes. (Never mind that gender disphoria isn't necessarily linked with homosexuality...) I see in this the same agenda at work as when American Christians talk about "curing" homosexuality. But the BIG question is: if we let the Christian fundamentalists run the country like they want to, would they do things any differently than what we are seeing in Iran? I haven't seen anything to suggest they would.
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POPSThere Is So Much Left To Discover! For those who thought that the world's mysteries had been stripped bare by science and technology, I present to you the Flying Fox. That which "did not exist" has been conjured from the void of our own incomplete knowledge, and stands before you today! Am I anachronistic to want to make my way in this world as an explorer in the tradition of Roald Aumendsun or V. K. Arseniev? Some think that we need religion or science to feel certainty in the world, but I would wager that a world of absolute certainty and defined meaning would be un-livable. Whether we realize it or not, our minds are frolicking in the freedom of the vacuum created by all that we have yet to learn. Just when we think we know something for sure, we discover how little we know, and I think that is very comforting. Perhaps the true meaning of life is as simple as persistence in chaos.
9
POPSThe End-times & Indonesia Now, I'll admit, it must kind of suck to live in Indonesia, given the yearly earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic erruptions, government opression, open civil war, not to mention chronic religous strife, mob violence, poverty, hunger, and homelessness. But today I heard someone commenting that this was all a sign of the End-times of Biblical prophecy. Another person involved in the conversation remarked that "it must be terrifying to believe in God when bad stuff like that happens." Then it struck me how just how much terror God inspired in people. The idea of a supreme being seems not only to inspire hope and ecstasy, but also trepidation and fear. Though many people, through profound intellectual effort, preserve faith in a deity as a solely positive force in their lives, there are no doubt just as many who fail. Could this mixture of exaltation and intimidation created by faith in some people be responsible for the noticeable link between terrorist violence and religious zea
1
POPSPlane God Hungers for Goat Flesh Not even BAAA RAAAM EWWE can save these guys. I guess in Nepal you really do fly with the gods, and they get hungry. And yes that just might be the goat.
1
POPSGuru Gobind Singh vs. the TSA Of course, I'm horrified and offended by the idea that we target people who cover their heads for additional security. (Especially considering that the successful terrorists of recent history did not cover their heads...) But I'm a little amused by the Sikhs once again getting dragged into this (mostly because our steak and potatoes Intelligence agencies can't tell the difference between anyone wearing something other than a baseball cap...) Then again, Kesh (uncut hair, wrapped in a turban) is just the most important of the "five K's" (external symbols of Sikh faith). What about the Kirpan? (A ceremonial dagger worn at all times, because you never know when you might have to kill an enemy of Sikhism, like Indira Ghandi, for instance...) I don't suppose they can get those through airport security either? Honestly, I'm tempted to avoid flying directly into America because of its idiotic security, and my religion doesn't even mandate carrying a weapon!
10
POPSA Saint's Dark Night What does her experience teach us about the value of doubt? I think it helps us to examine everyday life and to question the passive acceptance of conventional opinion.
6
POPSQuestions about Questions about Global Warming... As the banter and punditry continues, I am still confused by one thing: what should we do? Raising questions about global warming is one thing, but these critics provide no constructive agenda. I suppose that their implicit agenda is that we should do nothing, but once again, I don't understand this. First, the obvious obligation to environmental stewardship, simply for the sake of our own quality of life seems sound enough to mandate action with or without global warming. But, second, what is the point of all this? Science is not religion, it never really provides concrete answers. Instead it provides judgements based on the current knowledge. Even if our knowledge of climate change is imperfect today, it probably always will be. Yet in the mean time we must act in good faith on our best conclusions. Although we should be willing to change our minds if we discover new evidence in the future, today we would be idiots to not act on what knowledge we do have.
14
POPSZogby Survey Uncovers American Bias, Hypocrisy Detailed results worth viewing at source. Pollster John Zogby said, “Over my years of polling, I’ve learned that Americans tend to offer socially acceptable responses when questioned on their own views about race and prejudice. That’s why in this poll we predominantly asked people about “most Americans’” views on race and prejudice. We believe this provides a far more accurate window into how people really think about these issues. Americans are more forthcoming when discussing the problem in the context of their neighbors’ lives than in the context of their own lives.”
7
POPSSacred Activism by Andrew Harvey Andrew Harvey, Oxford scholar and visionary, believes that our survival depends on Sacred Activism, a fusion of profound mystical ... all » awareness, passion, clarity and sacred practice with wise, dedicated, radical action.
3
POPSBest Places to Get Free Books - The Ultimate Guide Best of the best free book resources on net. pdfs, docs, ebooks, mp3s... philosophy, science, technology, religion, theology, futurism, fiction.... almost all public domain intellectual work is available online. net is soon going to become the sum of all human knowledge (or has it already :)
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POPSPapal condemnation of Capitalism and Marxism. This is an interesting mix, and very revealing about the current political environment, and how it has changed since the 1980s. A condemnation of capitalism, which has at times been enshrined within some Christian ideologies, seems a commentary on the miss-deeds that have been done lately by corporate elites in the name of capitalism. But while his theology is sound, he does not go as far as he could. Catholic theology could be interpreted to condone charity as well. While he provides a provocative indictment of materialism, and Marxism certainly deserves to come under close scrutiny, he ignores the underlying inequities in society that make Marxist ideology so appealing to many. This could be interpreted as saying "Let them eat Faith." He condemns Liberation Theology, but he gives no answer to it. In the end, I feel his struggle is that he is a very philosophical and scholastic Pope, in a world that increasingly demands secular leadership from religious figures.
8
POPSOn God: Implications and Etymologies... What constitutes a God? Is it a divine creator? Or even a creator at all? If we consider the etymology of the word, God is that which is invoked. The significant point is that our conception of God developed through worship, and that in a sense, worship and invocation seem to have existed before the idea of a God was so clearly articulated. Think about yourself: who or what do you invoke in your daily lives?
9
POPSTragic Escalation This is another tragedy burst open as Iraqi society loses its coherence. But do not think that these Islamic militants are barbaric or insane. That would be just as wrong as saying the same of the American soldiers. They are simply one more crowd caught up in a moral earthquake. They are enveloped in a conflict so savage and so pervasive that it obscures the horizons. Like a giant storm, from with in there is no memory of normal life, and no one can see out to the sunny world of peace and happiness. One atrocity builds upon another untill there is no sanity left in the world at all. Having unleashed this conflict, I can't help but feel we all bear part of the responsibility. Not just the conservatives who didn't think through the consequences of their actions. Not just the liberals who only made empty symbolic gestures of resistance. Even myself, who was too proud to compromise and participate when I might have made a difference. And now I am heartbroken.
4
POPSConstructive Atheism What I really appreciate about Al the Atheist is that he is being constructive. Many atheists glibly make their case by lashing out at religion, instead of focusing on making positive statements about what they believe. It is far harder to create than to destroy, but if you never risk putting your own ideas in the ring, you aren't really contributing the public discourse. For any one with an opinion or belief, say it. Defend it. Put it out there. You will win far more respect by defending your own ideas rather than attacking the ideas of others.
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POPSThis Old Earth - Part 1 Response to a young earth creationist's arguments. The first two parts are debunking the arguments for a 6,000 year old earth, and the third part will detail how we know the earth is 4.5 billion years old.
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