CNN:
The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.
Evangelical Christians lead the way.
Correlation does not imply causation.
It’s been long standing that most Evangelical Christians are not “Christ like” and the people who are likely to support torture also happen to be likely to be evangelical because of other factors than their religious beliefs.
“The idea of particles-to-people evolution does not meet the criteria of a scientific theory. There are no evolutionary transitions that have ever been observed, either during human history or in the fossil record of the past… The fact is that evolutionists believe in evolution because they want to. It is their desire to explain the origin of everything without a Creator. Evolutionism is thus intrinsically an atheistic religion. Whether atheism or humanism (or even pantheism), the purpose is to eliminate a personal God from any active role in the origin of the universe and all its components, including man.”
I have an easier time relating to and discoursing with atheists who admit that theirs is a faith-system as much as mine.
i often forget that Jesus never calls me to convert others but to love them.
Science, thus evolution as well, is not a faith. Science is a constantly refreshing cycle of taking empirical observations and applying models to create theories. The theories are then tested and refined as more evidence is discovered. Faith, by definition, calls for trust without empirical evidence. Without any judgment as to whether faith is good or bad, faith and science are very different entities.
Some people take some science and treat it as a religion, this is not how it’s meant to be. Some people become blind to any opposing theories despite evidence. This is not science. This is more of the religion you were mentioning.
While there is some divergence as to some of the specifics of evolution, the overwhelming evidentiary and academic consensus is that the basics of evolution are true. This doesn’t mean that some revolutionary discovery cannot be made which will entirely discount evolution. However, the obscure possibility of some revelation down the road does not mean that the current logic is wrong.
While the “Help we’re being oppressed” statement is not something actually uttered very much it is a bit ridiculous when it’s mentioned.
(via brigno)
This is the original anonymous letter on which the speech (including bible verses) Aaron Sorkin wrote for The West Wing. [video]
Dear Dr. Laura,
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend homosexuality, for example, I will simply remind him or her that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other laws in Leviticus and Exodus and how to best follow them.
- When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Leviticus 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this?
- I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as stated in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
- I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Leviticus 15:19-24). The problem is, how can I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
- Leviticus 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify?
- I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
- A friend of mine says that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Leviticus 10:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this?
- Leviticus 20:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God’s Word is eternal and unchanging.
(source)
As an atheist, I’m with the sentiment here, but does anybody else find it ironic that we’re passing around a quote like this from a fictitious character? Pot kettle black and all that.
Cue angry emails from members the Church of House, M.D. berating me for not respecting their belief that House is indeed real and will return to Earth with an all-new episode this Monday.
(image via brigno / nognecessaryb)
None but god could imbue House with such powers, he is indeed Jesus’ third cousin twice removed.
brigno:reactorboy: atheistramblings:
Australian’s survival a ‘miracle’
Australian singer Emma Cowan (second from left), survied the Airbus crash into the Hudson. Her family, staunch Christians, say it was the hand of God that saved their daughter. That would be the same hand that stuffed the birds into the engines?
BTW, is that guy in the water actually delivering pizza?
This was all an elaborate PR stunt by Pizza Hut to advertise their new all-natural pizza and their new box
brigno:codery:corcarpemei:datn:
Where’s Charlton Heston when you need him?: Christians, worried about their finances, pray before Wall Street’s golden bull, forgetting that God kinda said not to do that.Heretics!
And teach it along side other creation myths.
You have not addressed the matter of why it belongs in a science class, the place where kids go to learn about how the world works, not how some Christians believe it might work.
I don’t really care where it gets taught, or mentioned. I just don’t want to ban it from schools.
this is missing the point. a religion class - any kind, on any topic or religion - has NO PLACE in a public school. if you want your children to learn about a certain religion, or religions, or a certain belief of a certain religion, then send them to sunday school, or teach it to them yourself. creationism and anything similar should absolutely be banned from public schools. -M
I completely disagree. I’m a staunch atheist but I think that a high school comparative religion class would be a very helpful and reasonable course. Such a course would not violate either the establishment or free exercise provisions of the First Amendment.
Even further, such a course would help promote understanding of others. How many of you actually know much about other religions. Whether we like it or not there are many people around us with different religions from us and it’s a school’s obligation to inform us about the world around us.
The idea is to teach them about many religions equally. A catholic family may only teach their kid about Catholicism, a jew only about Judaism, an atheist/agnostic about none. A comparative religion class would teach all to everyone.
a new Israeli phone has steep penalties for talking on Saturday and blocks 900 numbers associated with sex or other illicit activities.
