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POPSAtheists Need to Chill Michael Shermer makes a point that needs to be made. Atheists need to remember what they stand for , not merely what they are against . Ridicule and contempt have no place in science, and haters should not tarnish its reputation by association. In the words of the greatest consciousness raiser of the 20th century, Martin Luther King, Jr., in his epic "I Have a Dream" speech: "In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline." If atheists do not want theists to prejudge them in a negative light, then they must not do unto theists the same.
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POPSEvolution:24 myths and misconceptions It doesn't matter if people do not understand evolution "Survival of the fittest" justifies "everyone for themselves" Evolution is limitlessly creative Evolution cannot explain traits such as homosexuality Creationism provides a coherent alternative to evolution Creationist myths: Evolution must be wrong because the Bible is inerrant Accepting evolution undermines morality Evolutionary theory leads to racism and genocide Religion and evolution are incompatible Half a wing is no use to anyone Evolutionary science is not predictive Evolution cannot be disproved so is not science Evolution is just so unlikely to produce complex life forms Evolution is an entirely random process Mutations can only destroy information, not create it Darwin is the ultimate authority on evolution The bacterial flagellum is irreducibly complex Yet more creationist misconceptions Evolution violates the second law of thermodynamics
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POPS How modern evangelicals are ignoring their own history Today's Christian conservatives often note that Jefferson's famous line declaring that the first amendment had created “a wall separating church and state” was not in the Constitution but in a private letter. But in that letter, Jefferson was responding to one sent to him by a group of Baptists in Danbury, Conn. We usually read Jefferson's side of that exchange. It's worth re-reading what the Danbury Baptists had to say because it reminds us that for the 18th-century evangelicals, the separation of church and state was not only required by the practicalities of their minority status, but was also demanded by God. “Religions is at all times and places a matter between God and individuals,” the Baptists wrote, warning that government “dare not assume the prerogatives of Jehova and make Laws to govern the Kingdom of Christ.” Government had no business meddling in the affairs of the soul, where there is only one Ruler.
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POPSWhere Is Atheism When Bad Things Happen? Hmm....I had noticed this but never really gave it much thought. Good points. Funny that the protests against religious expression never occur until a couple weeks or so after a tragedy like this. More than that you never see an atheist offering a shoulder to those who are suffering. These folk scatter faster at the outset of tragedy, when man's natural inclination is to turn to God, than do roaches at a the turning of a light switch. Suppose they are seeking similar dark corners?
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POPSWe Are At War!...and don't you forget it!....clipable A summation of Bush's "State Of The Union" address that gives a well thought out critique of the deeper meaning of his words and statements. One thing that I didn't notice was his refusal to use the word "Democratic" instead of "Democrat"...may sound trivial, but this is exactly how this administration operates.
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POPSAre You Washed In The Blood? "A campaign had emerged to promote the idea that the Bible was entirely without error, even in matters of history and science. Some feared that more liberal theological positions were being taught in the convention's seminaries. n August, he visited the White House. In "Our Endangered Values," Carter recalls Smith saying, at the close of their meeting, "We are praying, Mr. President, that you will abandon secular humanism as your religion." HMMMMM . . . where have I heard that before? I thinky maybe here on CM, yes I do. I think I have had that charge leveled on me that I MUST be a secular humanist. God FORBID that I promote peace, I MUST be a pacifist -(even though Jesus was the ultimate pacifist). God FORBID I must be a voice against violence, homophobia, patriarchy, sexism, and racism. I MUST be secular. God wouldn't want those values; the only values God wants are crotch based.
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POPSCan You Really Love Your Country? I support the innocent victims and the soldiers who were lied to and tricked into fighting in Iraq. But after the lies and evil were exposed and the truth came out , for all others who still choose to enlist and who still choose to pick up arms against innocent people and to knowingly aid in the occupation and devastation of an innocent sovereign nation ...then no. They get no sympathy from me. There's a big difference between being a soldier and being a mercenary. Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painful to change. There is pride in that, even arrogance, but there is also experience and truth. In any event, it is the only way we can live. - Senator Edward M. Kennedy,
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POPSTheists Will Deny This! Theists will dust off the oft repeated mantra that without eternal punishment in hell people just can't behave. The law must come from God. Totally baseless and false but they'll drag it out anyway.
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POPSTop Ten Forecasts for 2009 & Beyond Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine to go into our annual Outlook report. Over the years, Outlook has spotlighted the emergence of such epochal developments as the Internet, virtual reality, and the end of the Cold War. All of these forecasts plus dozens more were included in the report that scanned the best writing and research from THE FUTURIST magazine over the course of the previous year. The Society hopes this report, covering developments in business and economics, demography, energy, the environment, health and medicine, resources, society and values, and technology, will assist its readers in preparing for the challenges and opportunities in 2009 and beyond.
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POPSUSA: A Nation of Uneducated Morons So tell me, everyone: why are scientists supposed to respect religion, this corrupter of minds, this promulgator of lies, this damnable institution dedicated to delusion, in our culture? Maybe we need to start picketing fundamentalist churches. Maybe it's about time that we recognize religious miseducation as child abuse.
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POPSDepression: It's Spiritually Incorrect In the face of such ignorance I say this, a prayer a priest friend recently taught me: "Jesus, save me from your followers." (Or, my secular version: "I'm sorry. My fault. I forgot you were an idiot.")
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POPS10 Reasons Why Liberals Hate Christians I ran out of Clippage. 10) Liberals are spiritually lost and blind to the truth of the gospel. I clipped this not at the source (I was kinda sceeert a goin' there), rather for an excellent Op/Ed over at <a href="http://hjhop.blogspot.com/2007/05/my-nipples-explode-with-delight.html">Happy Jihad's House of Pancakes</a> I love HJ. He can even make me smile at the close of a day like today. The scariest thing about these 10 items is I swaer I've heard them almost verbatim from another clipper. Ohhhh Willieeeeee.... Yoooo Hooooo.....
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POPSTop 10 Forecasts for 2009 and Beyond 6. Professional knowledge will become obsolete almost as quickly as it’s acquired. An individual’s professional knowledge is becoming outdated at a much faster rate than ever before. 7. The race for biomedical and genetic enhancement will-in the twenty-first century-be what the space race was in the previous century. 8. Urbanization will hit 60% by 2030. 9. The Middle East will become more secular while religious influence in China will grow. 10. Access to electricity will reach 83% of the world by 2030.
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POPSWill the Clash of Faiths Go on Forever? Religious conflict rages on, despite claims we live in a "secular age" -- two authors explore the clash of beliefs. This article reviews: Divided by Faith: Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early Modern Europe by Benjamin J. Kaplan God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215 by David Levering Lewis
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POPSHow the Neocon-Christian Right Alliance Brought Down the House of Bush C. UNGER: I traveled undercover with Tim LeHay, who is the prophet of the "Left Behind" series. I traveled with him to the battlefield of Armageddon, where they believe the final conflict would take place. Megiddo is -- from Megiddo, we get the term Armageddon, where the final conflict will take place. And I was walking up the hill with LeHay and about ninety of his followers, and as you look over this spectacularly beautiful pastoral valley . They see that it will be filled with blood, the blood of as many as two billion people. And I talked with them about that, and they say there will be a river of blood, 200 miles long, about four-and-a-half feet deep. And I asked one of them when all this would take place. And they said, “Very soon, but not soon enough. Any day now.” So they see this fantasy is taking place, and this is sort of one of the horrific visions that is spelled out in the Book of Revelation.
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