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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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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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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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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?
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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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