zblaze's Profile

Religion & Spirituality

Jan 15, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

The Museum of the Bible Is a Safe Space for Christian Nationalists

Given the theologico-political goals of its founders and patrons, it isn’t hard to see that the location of this museum was an act of symbolic and practical genius. If you’re going to build a Christian nation, this is where you start. That’s why Cindy Jacobs, a leading figure in the fast-growing world of charismatic Christianity, and a featured speaker at the Revolution 2017 event in December, described the museum as “God’s base camp.” There, in the auditorium of the museum, Ms. ...

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Family & Parenting

Jan 11, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKHow RE teachers see religion – and why it can be bad for pupils

FTA: It is wrong, for example, to imagine that terrorists have always “twisted” their religion from its “true” form. They follow a nefarious, destructive form of religion, but it is still religion. To imply otherwise presents young people with a view that doesn’t fully reflect how they experience religion in contemporary society – where it can motivate great acts of kindness, but also atrocities.

1 comment

Sam Harris Fans

Sep 21, 2019Sep 2019

Posted by zblaze

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Kathleen Belew about the white power movement in the United States. They discuss white supremacy, white nationalism, white separatism, the militia movement, “The ...

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Academic (e.g., Science)

Jan 8, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

How the Loss of Critical Reasoning is Harming America - TheHumanist.com

It bled over into the idea that as an American I am absolutely free to ignore science, expertise, and reason to believe what I feel to be true. That happened over hundreds of years. Then another part of it, certainly relevant to the election and presidency of Donald Trump, is the degree to which a more benign blurring between fiction and reality—entertainment—has affected us. Entertainment values and show business have seeped more and more into American life, whether it’s in the press, ...

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Philosophy & Meaning

Apr 12, 2018Apr 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKDavid Mitchell Doesn't Understand Atheism (And Neither Do Agnostics) - YouTube

Like I've said before, "If you are an agnostic you are also an atheist."

1 comment

General & Hellos

Jan 19, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Denver Longhorns, Camel Shaving, Hero Pups - The Atlantic

It takes a while to load, but I think it's worth it....

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Sam Harris Fans

Aug 29, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze

167 - A Few Thoughts on White Supremacy

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Religion & Spirituality

Dec 14, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze

Why we are supposed to trust the consensus of a field that is based on experts who refuse to read their own peer reviewed literature and never actually respond to it, is still not explained. Yet “we should always believe the consensus” is his ...

Hurtado claims “this is why the view has no traction among scholars”: “It’s not because scholars are gullible or lazy. The view just doesn’t stand up to critical scrutiny.” Yet, all Hurtado demonstrates is gullibility and laziness. He just trusts things he hasn’t confirmed; I caught him making several claims that are demonstrably false, and that he’d know were false if he bothered to check. And he is too lazy to go and read the actual literature to know if it’s sound. Even ...

2 comments

General & Hellos

Apr 5, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKBBC - Future - Are we close to solving the puzzle of consciousness?

FTA: From these axioms, Tononi proposes that we can identify a person’s (or an animal’s, or even a computer’s) consciousness from the level of “information integration” that is possible in the brain (or CPU). According to his theory, the more information that is shared and processed between many different components to contribute to that single experience, then the higher the level of consciousness.

1 comment

News & Links

Jan 8, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

World Atheist Conference 2018

WAC is the ideological confluence of atheist, rationalist and humanist fraternity from the countries – England, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland,United States etc. and from all the States of India. WAC proceedings cover seminar and sittings with lecture delivery and paper presentation on the various dimensions of atheism , rationalism and humanism.

2 comments

General & Hellos

Jul 7, 2019Jul 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Mermaid Parade, Scarlet Sails, Moss Man - The Atlantic

Some more photos from around the globe.

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General & Hellos

Jun 20, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKJordan Peterson’s Bullshit

FTA: Peterson does not speak for what is “normal.” His jargon of authenticity — that he is just a simple academic fighting for truth amid so much political correctness and censorship — masks his authoritarian ideas. He calls Marxism a “murderous ideology,” but his paranoid and conspiratorial politics are hard to distinguish from the alt-right’s denunciations of cultural Marxism. Indeed, the line between Peterson’s authoritarianism and Richard Spencer’s paleo-Nazism is a blurry ...

3 comments

Politics

Jan 16, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

Trump’s Islamophobia is having an unexpected result – ThinkProgress

“As someone who witnessed a demonstration at the airport upon returning from international travel, and as a Muslim, I was moved to tears. It reminded me why I am an American,” Zonneveld said. “The overwhelming push-back by non-Muslims, individual Americans who were untouched by the travel ban, and yet demonstrated in numbers, and with states and civil liberty organizations filing suites, reminded others: it is un-American and ‘not cool’ to discriminate. I believe for those on the ...

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General & Hellos

Sep 29, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKFighting a God - Dark Matter 2525

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General & Hellos

Oct 7, 2018Oct 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Norway Surf, Monkey Drummer, Underwater Offense - The Atlantic

Please enjoy.♥

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Philosophy & Meaning

Jan 17, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINK146 - Digital Capitalism A Conversation with Douglas Rushkoff

anuary 16, 2019 In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Rushkoff about the state of the digital economy. Douglas Rushkoff is the host of the Team Human podcast and author of Team Human as well as a dozen other bestselling books on media, technology, and culture.

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Philosophy & Meaning

Feb 7, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

Reason-and-religion atheism agnosticism nonreligious church-state

Before the Church began to claim its doctrines were fully based on reason it had long demonized evidence-based investigation of existence. The switch came soon after ancient Greek skeptical philosophy disturbingly re-emerged in the West around the 15th century after a millennia of dormancy following the collapse of the Roman Empire. As far back as the 5th century, Catholicism pioneer St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) had damned reason as “the disease of curiosity … which drives us to ...

5 comments

General & Hellos

Mar 23, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Hudson Yards, Birdman Rally, Cat Yoga - The Atlantic

Please enjoy

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General & Hellos

May 4, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos: Climate-Change Protests Around the World - The Atlantic

Protesters look the same the world over.

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Academic (e.g., Science)

Jan 11, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe 10 Weirdest Science Stories of 2018

FTA: Crows can do some pretty amazing things. They use tools. They can solve puzzles. They also, sometimes, have sex with their dead. Scientists placed a dead crow on the ground and watched how other crows reacted. Some mounted the corpse, and...well, you get the picture. It's not clear why the crows were getting busy with the recently deceased, but it may have been a confused response mingling aggression with sex.

1 comment

General & Hellos

Feb 18, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

Atheists are under threat: discrimination against non-religious people increases - micetimes.asia

Research center Pew Research estimates that by 2060 the number of unaffiliated people (this includes atheists, agnostics and those who do not consider themselves followers of any particular religion) will be approximately 1.2 billion people (now there are 1.17 billion). Although, according to the same forecast, this group will not grow as fast as the number of believers. “Currently, the disbelievers-they are the third largest group of the population from the standpoint of religious belief, ...

6 comments

General & Hellos

Feb 20, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

How US death penalty capital changed its mind - BBC News

"The death penalty wouldn't have survived in America if it weren't for evangelical Christians," notes Shane Claiborne, a prominent Christian activist and best-selling author. "Where evangelical Christians are most concentrated is where the death penalty survives." But, Mr Claiborne notes, younger evangelicals in states like Texas are increasingly embracing a pro-life interpretation that goes beyond the confines of the abortion debate to also include the likes of the Black Lives Matter ...

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Health & Happiness

Oct 14, 2018Oct 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKReflexology Hand And Foot Charts (Free) - Herbs Info

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Silly, Random & Fun

Mar 5, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Photos of the Week: Dancing Noses, Olympic Jumps, Analog Astronauts - The Atlantic

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Silly, Random & Fun

Aug 20, 2018Aug 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Comics Section: Letterboxes & Blue Waves - TheHumanist.com

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General & Hellos

Jun 23, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKScience Uprising: A New Case Against the New Atheists Comes to YouTube

The outright fallacies are numerous in this video. See how many you can spot. [youtu.be]

1 comment

Religion & Spirituality

Jan 17, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINK30 Years After the Rushdie Fatwa, Europe Is Moving Backward – Foreign Policy

FTA: despite the unanimous rhetorical support for free speech after Charlie Hebdo, blasphemy bans have become more firmly anchored in some parts of the continent in recent years. In a recent case, the European Court of Human Rights even reaffirmed that European human rights law recognizes a right not to have one’s religious feelings hurt. The court based its decision on the deeply flawed assumption that religious peace and tolerance may require the policing rather than the protection of ...

4 comments

General & Hellos

Jan 3, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKWaking Up Podcast 145 - The Information War | Sam Harris

N this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Renée DiResta about Russia’s “Internet Research Agency” and its efforts to amplify conspiracy thinking and partisan conflict in the United States. Renée DiResta is the Director of Research at New Knowledge and Head of Policy at the nonprofit organization Data for Democracy where she investigates the spread of malign narratives across social networks. She regularly writes and speaks about the role that tech platforms and curatorial ...

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Religion & Spirituality

Mar 29, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe death of Christianity in the U.S. – Baptist News Global

The beauty of the gospel message — of love, of peace and of fraternity — has been murdered by the ambitions of Trumpish flimflammers who have sold their souls for expediency. No greater proof is needed of the death of Christianity than the rush to defend a child molester in order to maintain a majority in the U.S. Senate. Evangelicals have constructed an exclusive interpretation which fuses and confuses white supremacy with salvation. Only those from the dominant culture, along with their...

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Religion & Spirituality

Mar 21, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKPope meets with Mormon leadership in Rome to dedicate temple - Religion News Service

FTA: Nelson and the 14 elders who make up the leadership of the church, widely known as the Mormons, are in town for the dedication Sunday of their new temple. The lush complex features an oval-shaped marble house of worship crowning a hilltop and a visitor center featuring a larger-than-life marble statue of Christ surrounded by smaller statues of the apostles.

5 comments

General & Hellos

Mar 5, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKNigeria’s undercover atheists - Vanguard News Nigeria

"There are several stories from folks living in fear for their lives because they don't believe in some deity. This is just one of them." FTA: Bala attracted media attention in 2014 after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Kano by his parents when they found out he was atheist. He says his father and uncles held him down for 30 minutes and forced him to take medications given by the psychiatrist, who told him “everyone needs God”.

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Silly, Random & Fun

Aug 12, 2018Aug 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKXTC-Dear God Lyrics - YouTube

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Religion & Spirituality

Apr 23, 2018Apr 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKChurches Fight Atheist Lawsuit that Could Result in $1B in Taxes on Church Leaders | CBN News

For nearly six decades, religious leaders have enjoyed a housing tax exemption from the IRS. But one atheist organization says no more. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is fighting to strip that tax break in a move that would mean churches across the country would be socked with almost $1 billion in new taxes. Supporters say the provision, known as the "parsonage exemption," allows pastors, rabbis and others to live in the communities they serve.

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General & Hellos

Apr 14, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKHarvey Fineberg: Are we ready for neo-evolution? | TED Talk

From The Video: Medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg shows us three paths forward for the ever-evolving human species: to stop evolving completely, to evolve naturally -- or to control the next steps of human evolution, using genetic modification, to make ourselves smarter, faster, better. Neo-evolution is within our grasp. What will we do with it?

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General & Hellos

Nov 24, 2018Nov 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThat's Just How It Was Back Then - YouTube

DarkMatter2525 Published on Nov 23, 2018 Jeffery and God argue about a speech made by Ben Shapiro. Like many apologists, Shapiro tries to reconcile a timeless god's uncanny resemblance to an ancient culture. Is it because an all-powerful God needed to accommodate His own creation, or simply because the culture created the god?

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General & Hellos

Feb 20, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

Salon Retracts Article Criticizing Bible; It Didn’t Meet “Editorial Standards” – Friendly Atheist

Do you guys remember when I posted this article??? From this article; She talked about how having multiple authors (because “God” didn’t write it) led to “two different creation myths, three sets of Ten Commandments, and four contradictory versions of the Easter story.” She explained the possible forgeries, the mixing of literary genres, the possible mis-translations, and the numerous examples of “inside baseball” that made sense to the writers but not necessarily to people ...

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General & Hellos

Sep 16, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKGraphic Novel Review: Altered Boys Vol. 1: The Book of Billy - TheHumanist.com

FTA: Altered Boys frames the ongoing ecclesiastical abuse scandals in such a highly personal way that the reader can feel the passions of its characters seeping through the pages. Like the best of the genre, it invites us to question ourselves as moral agents and challenges our notions of justice.

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General & Hellos

Apr 24, 2018Apr 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKA Life of Pretending: Being Egyptian and Atheist - Quillette

Apostates towards the latter end of this spectrum have severed ties with religion completely. There are also “mild” and “transformative” forms of apostasy. While apostates towards the mild end are more or less indifferent towards the topic, most having never been particularly religious to begin with, those towards the transformative end have most often been raised to be religious. For them, the process of apostasy has often involved “massive psychological reorientation from a ...

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Politics

Mar 12, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Pro-Trump Pastor: ‘Thou Shalt Not Have Sex With A Porn Star’ Doesn’t Apply Here | HuffPost

Jeffress, who has been a guest in the Trump White House, has a history of inflammatory comments. Last year, he said NFL players who kneel to protest racial injustice should “be thanking God” they haven’t been “shot in the head.” He also said Trump has God’s support if he wants to “take out” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He’s also directed intolerant rants against gays, Muslims, Catholics, Mormons and more. He is the head pastor of the First Baptist Dallas megachurch.

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Politics

Mar 21, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Pruitt tapes revealed: Evolution's a 'theory,' 'majority' religions under attack - POLITICO

Republicans in Congress defended Pruitt, saying his religious beliefs should factor into how he does his job. "All of us are people of faith and obviously influenced by our faith and the role it played in our life … and continue to play in our life on a daily basis," said Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees EPA. "It’s a part of who we are." Sen. Jim Inhofe, a fellow Oklahoman, said Pruitt's faith does and should play a ...

2 comments

Silly, Random & Fun

Sep 6, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Comics Section: Revisiting Commandments and Laugh to Keep from Crying - TheHumanist.com

LOL

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Religion & Spirituality

Mar 13, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Beast in the Shadows Behind Religion | James Haught

FTA: Human sacrifice. Jihad holy wars. Torturing and burning women as “witches.” Massacring religious minorities such as Jews, Anabaptists and Baha’is. Castrating small boys to keep their voices golden for castrati cathedral singing. Suicide bombing to murder “infidels” of rival faiths or no faith. Killing “blasphemers” who question supernatural dogmas. Torturing “heretics” to make them admit deviant beliefs, then burning them at the stake. Civil wars between opposing ...

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Philosophy & Meaning

Dec 31, 2018Dec 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThere’s no philosophy of life without a theory of human nature | Aeon Essays

FTA: What exactly does science tell us about the idea of a human nature? If we take evolutionary biology seriously, then we certainly should reject any essentialist conception of it, such as Aristotle’s. There is no immutable, clearly defined ‘essence’ that characterises human beings, and only them, within the whole animal world. From Charles Darwin onward, the scientific consensus has been pretty clear: we are but one species among millions on Earth, members of a not particularly numerous...

2 comments

Religion & Spirituality

Feb 20, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

Cardinal George Pell's barrister: loud, socially progressive and an avowed atheist

Pell and Richter certainly make an odd couple. Richter is a Jew, Pell is a Catholic: Richter is loudly leftwing and socially progressive. Pell is a mirthless arch-conservative who once claimed that homosexuality was more dangerous than smoking. An early campaigner for reproductive rights and drug law reform, Richter has built a career around confronting power and challenging authority. Pell is authority incarnate, a high priest in one of the most powerful institutions in the world; one, ...

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Family & Parenting

Sep 7, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Humanist Dilemma: Family Friends with a Side of Salvation - TheHumanist.com

FTA: Recently, their sixteen-year-old daughter, the same age as our daughter, decided to become a missionary. She seems to have chosen our girl to practice on. My daughter says every time we get together, her friend asks her if she has accepted Jesus yet, and my daughter tells her she hasn’t and doesn’t plan to. Although that seems to dampen the discussion until the next time, it’s making my daughter uncomfortable, and she has started to avoid getting together with this girl. Over the ...

1 comment

Silly, Random & Fun

Mar 29, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKWill convert for evidence.

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General & Hellos

Jan 29, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

Atheism Doubles Among Generation Z

So what has led to this precipitous falling off? Barna asked non-Christians of all ages about their biggest barriers to faith. Gen Z nonbelievers have much in common with their older counterparts in this regard, but a few differences stand out. Teens, along with young adults, are more likely than older Americans to say the problem of evil and suffering is a deal breaker for them. It appears that today’s youth, like so many throughout history, struggle to find a compelling argument for the ...

1 comment

Politics

Feb 18, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

Atheist Kicked Out of MO Town Meeting After Criticizing “In God We Trust” Sign – Friendly Atheist

This one pissed me right off!! From the article; She explained the history of the phrase. She told them why it excluded the non-religious people in the community. And she also pointed out that she’s heard these complaints from several people in the area but that they were fearful of speaking out in public — that’s why she was doing it on their behalf. Mayor Nick Guccione responded by essentially dismissing her criticism because she was the only person they had ever heard speaking out ...

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Philosophy & Meaning

Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze

The Wisdom of Reza Aslan’s God: A Human History - TheHumanist.com

As he relates in the history of Israel’s “first successful experiment with monotheism,” such an evolution might also come about as the result of a “profound disruption” to preexisting belief systems. The elements of such a disruption are on the verge of combustion in the Middle East now, where three nuclear states—the US, Russia, and Israel—warily maneuver around each other in Syria. Iran, now one year away from becoming a nuclear state, is preparing a military campaign to ...

1 comment

Health & Happiness

Jan 19, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKAnimal Agriculture's Battle against Clean Water - TheHumanist.com

FTA: Kupale Ookala provided proof that wastewater from the dairy farm traveled downstream to the community of Ookala, where it polluted their waterways and ultimately ended up in the ocean. Records regarding this activity begin as early as 2014, when the Hawaii Department of Health confirmed that the dairy farm contaminated local streams as a direct result of neglectful operational practices including poorly maintained feces lagoons, burying dead cows in a gulch that flows into local waterways, ...

1 comment

Academic (e.g., Science)

Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze

Is Psychology a "Self-Correcting" Science?

Why is this important? One of science’s great claims to special status and credibility is that it is “self-correcting” – i.e., that when new data comes in showing something that conflicts with scientific conclusions, scientists supposedly change their conclusions. Except that, too often, they do not, at least not very easily. The accepted scientific wisdom does change, but usually because new scholars take up the correction, not because the old guard “self-corrects.” Think I am ...

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Politics

Jan 29, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

Trump's HHS Rule Allows Religious Doctors to Refuse Care - The Atlantic

There isn’t a good count of either how many doctors harbor religious objections they’re not able to act on, or of how many patients get denied services by religiously objecting doctors. The most typical way medicine and religion tend to collide, these experts say, was for the sixth of all U.S. patients who are treated by Catholic health systems. Some of these hospitals don’t provide certain types of contraception, abortion, or assisted suicide. But those are hospitals, not the individual ...

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Religion & Spirituality

Mar 12, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Kevin Swanson Warns That God May Destroy America Over 'The Shape Of Water' | Right Wing Watch

Earlier this year, extremist anti-LGBTQ pastor Kevin Swanson voiced his disgust over the existence of the film “The Shape Of Water,” fuming that it represented “the end of civilization as we know it” because it promoted “cross-species mating” in direct defiance of the Bible. Now that the film has won Oscars for best picture and best director, Swanson has returned to warn that God may destroy America because of it.

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Politics

Jan 16, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKFL Democrat Introduces Bill Requiring Public High Schools to Offer Bible Classes | Hemant Mehta | Friendly Atheist | Patheos

FTA: Kirk Bailey, political director of the ACLU of Florida, says that his group is watching this bill. “There are acceptable ways to teach about the Bible: schools can teach comparative religion classes or about the Bible’s relationship to literature, art or music. However, it is exceedingly difficult to do so in a constitutionally permissible manner,” Bailey said. “Ultimately, parents, not the government, should be in charge of religious education. To ensure one faith is not ...

3 comments

Philosophy & Meaning

Feb 7, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINK148 - Jack Dorsey

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Jack Dorsey about how he manages his dual CEO roles at Square and Twitter, the role that Twitter plays in journalism, how it’s different from other social media, what makes a conversation healthy, the logic by which Twitter suspends people, the argument for kicking Trump off the platform, Jack’s practice of meditation, and other topics.

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Politics

Jan 29, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

Roy Moore goes back to supporters asking for money to battle sexual abuse accuser in court | WHNT.com

Roy Moore previously had a legal defense fund while refusing to move a monument of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, despite a court order demanding he do so. That legal defense fund was later converted to the Foundation for Moral Law, which provided him more than a million dollars in compensation while the foundation employed multiple members of his family, including his wife as director. LMAAO

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General & Hellos

Mar 12, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Feminists have slowly shifted power. There’s no going back | Rebecca Solnit | Opinion | The Guardian

It happened because the test case in California went before what appeared to be a conservative judge – federal judge Vaughn Walker, appointed by George Herbert Walker Bush – who had been in the closet himself at the time of his appointment, but was gay, and whose own attitudes toward his orientation must have evolved as the culture around him evolved. He found in favor of marriage equality and set up the case to be clear and thorough when it reached the supreme court. When judges rule on ...

0 comments

General & Hellos

Sep 7, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKChina and Europe stand out on world map of atheism

FTA: The relatively low scores for atheism don’t necessarily mean that religion has an unassailable position - far from it. Many places have very high scores of 'non-religious' people. However, that category is broad enough to encompass both believers who think of themselves as non-fundamentalist, non-believers who feel the need to obfuscate their disbelief, and anyone in between.

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Religion & Spirituality

Jul 23, 2018Jul 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe ‘King’ of Shambhala Buddhism Is Undone by Abuse Report

Late last month, a former Shambhala teacher released a report alleging that the Sakyong had sexually abused and exploited some of his most devoted female followers for years. Women quoted in the report wrote of drunken groping and forcefully extracted sexual favors. The report said that senior leaders at Shambhala — an organization whose motto is “Making Enlightened Society Possible” — knew of the Sakyong’s misconduct and covered it up.

1 comment

Religion & Spirituality

Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze

PROOF Religion Compromises Moral Judgement (Dan Barker) - YouTube

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Music, Movies & Books

Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze

The Babylon Bee's Top Ten Books Of 2017

You’ll Buy Any Stupid Trash I Put Out, Won’t You, You Dumb Suckers — Joel Osteen: In perhaps the most important work of the year, Joel Osteen lays out an iron-clad case to millions of readers that they will undoubtedly continue to buy any and all stupid, meaningless, mind-numbing, gospel-diluting, Jesus-disrespecting trash he puts out, in bulk, without so much as a second thought. “I spread this hair-thin Christian veneer on it, smack my huge smile on the front cover, and collect my $15...

1 comment

Health & Happiness

Mar 3, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

The Humanist Dilemma: When Should a Student Come Out as an Atheist? - TheHumanist.com

As for your extended family: You can’t live your life on pretense just to keep everyone happy. You don’t have to tell them anything about your faith unless you want to, and if they learn the truth regardless—well, it’s the truth, whether or not they choose to accept it. If your family really does reject you, move on (but remain open to reconnecting if and when they are ready to respect your views). You are doing nothing wrong and everything right.

4 comments

Music, Movies & Books

Mar 12, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Tom Nichols, "Death of Expertise" author, is profiled | Harvard Magazine

From the beginning, discussion of The Death of Expertise was inextricably bound up with Donald Trump. The book appeared less than six months after the upheaval of the 2016 election, and barely three months into the new presidency, and it seemed to have been composed with Trump in mind: a man, Nichols wrote, who quoted The National Enquirer as a reliable source of news, traded in conspiracy theories, and remained willfully and persistently uninformed about basic issues of public policy. Nichols ...

0 comments

General & Hellos

Jun 16, 2018Jun 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Distorted Queen, Toad King, Gladiator - The Atlantic

♥

1 comment

Philosophy & Meaning

Jan 7, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

Elif Shafak: The revolutionary power of diverse thought | TED Talk

0 comments

General & Hellos

Sep 16, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKTeach the REAL controversy - YouTube

AronRa Published on Sep 8, 2018 I often hear creationists saying we should "teach the controversy", meaning they want their apologists to mislead and deceive children so that they'll distrust or reject science. I say we should teach the controversy, so that students know what it's really about, that some people just want to believe in fantasy over fact. This was my presentation to Marshall Secular Students in Huntington West Virginia. I should point out that my plane was delayed so long that...

0 comments

Politics

May 13, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKAndrew Seidel: The Founding Myth - YouTube

TheThinkingAtheist Streamed live on May 10, 2019 Andrew Seidel is author of the new book, The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American ([amzn.to]. He speaks with Seth Andrews and takes listener calls.

0 comments

Academic (e.g., Science)

Feb 20, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

Systematic Classification of Life - ep23 Mammaliformes - YouTube

AronRa Published on Feb 17, 2018 Here is the link to the full playlist: [goo.gl] My wife, Lilandra asked me to do this series, based on our first interaction--back when she was a creationist. I often say that phylogenetic taxonomy is the strongest argument for evolution. After we talked about a couple dozen clades, she was convinced, and suggested I do something similar for the public. If you like what I do, please consider becoming a patron.

0 comments

General & Hellos

Jun 7, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKConnect : Server Error 500

06/07/2019 6:00 AM PDT 2019 Annual Conference - Day 1 Live streaming now

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General & Hellos

Sep 17, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Hovercraft Racing, Mud Wallow, Balls of Fire - The Atlantic

0 comments

Politics

Feb 8, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

Kathleen Hartnett White, Trump’s Environment Pick: Fossil Fuels Ended Slavery, CO2 Is Good for You

We’re all used to the “fox guarding the henhouse” phenomenon in this administration: a longtime opponent of public schools heading the Education Department, a man who made his name suing the Environmental Protection Agency now heading it, and on down the line. So it’s not surprising that White has spent her career taking money from ExxonMobil and the Koch network and spouting nonsense about how fossil fuels ended slavery, emit “plant nutrients,” and, of course, do not contribute to ...

0 comments

Family & Parenting

Apr 16, 2018Apr 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKHumanist Voices in Verse: Stephen Perry - TheHumanist.com

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General & Hellos

Mar 31, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKFirst Annual Atheist Day with Aron Ra - YouTube

I just love this guy! ♥ AronRa Published on Mar 26, 2019 March 23 2019 was the first ever Atheist Day, and I was part of the celebration going on at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The idea was suggested by Atheist Republic and has since become a thing. Video recorded by Alan Kozeluh and Lilandra Ra.

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Silly, Random & Fun

Oct 17, 2018Oct 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Comics Section: The Devil, the Flood, and the Child - TheHumanist.com

1 comment

Academic (e.g., Science)

Feb 7, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKAn Unprecedentedly Thorough Evolution Experiment - The Atlantic

After almost a decade, Barrett, Hoekstra, and their colleagues had shown that darker-furred mice were more likely to survive on the soils of Wild Bill’s alfalfa farm, while lighter-furred individuals thrived against the whiter sands of a nearby park. They found that these variations in fur color depend heavily on mutations in one particular gene. They uncovered exactly how one of these mutations changes the color of a mouse’s hair.

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Politics

Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze

Here’s How Much Money the TeleCom Industry Gave to Members of Congress Who Urged the FCC to End “Net Neutrality”

Ajit Pai, President Trump’s hand-picked Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, completed his boss’s directive to dismantle net neutrality today. Claiming without evidence that gutting net neutrality would spur innovation, Pai cast the deciding vote on a package of measures that remove the popular Obama-era regulations that prevented internet service providers from controlling the speeds at which content travels across their networks.

1 comment

Health & Happiness

Dec 20, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze

Waking Up with Sam Harris 109— Biology and Culture

In this episode of the Waking Up podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Bret Weinstein about the moral panic at Evergreen State College, the concept of race, genetic differences between human populations, intersectionality, sex and gender, “metaphorical truth,” religion and “group selection,” equality, and other topics.

4 comments

General & Hellos

Mar 31, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Underwater Restaurant, Holi Colors, Wonderland Eurasia - The Atlantic

Have fun!

1 comment

Philosophy & Meaning

Jan 7, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKIf you knew everything, could you predict anything? A thought experiment | Aeon Videos

FTA: In this video from Wi-Phi or Wireless Philosophy, the English philosopher Richard Holton, formerly of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and now at the University of Cambridge, outlines the two problems often used to argue that free will doesn’t exist. The first says that, if the laws of physics are fixed, all our choices must be predetermined. The second holds that, with enough computing power and knowledge about how the Universe works, someone could theoretically peer into the ...

2 comments

Religion & Spirituality

Jan 22, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKPriest’s sex with teenage boy was ‘consensual’ says Vatican | Barry Duke

FTA: The Vatican’s apparent attempt to discredit and downplay the charges against McCarrick raises a “big red flag,” said Voris, who asserted: The Vatican is more concerned with cover-up than the truth. Many are thinking that all of this is just one huge smoke screen. He added: Rome has no real concern about this issue, too easily adopts a ‘blame the victim approach,’ and is content to treat this scandal as just an ‘American thing’ that will be forgotten soon ...

7 comments

Politics

Feb 20, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

A GOP Congressman Gave Trump a Literal Bag of Prayers After the School Shooting – Friendly Atheist

Over the weekend, Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) delivered a bagful of thoughts and prayers to Donald Trump, presumably as a response to the tragedy in Parkland, Florida. (I think this is now the official GOP response to all mass shootings.)

1 comment

Religion & Spirituality

Jan 7, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKA Brief And Bitter History Of Being Atheist In Modern Egypt - Worldcrunch

FTA: The issuing of legal documents like marriage certificates and death certificates, as well as things like child custody and inheritance, are all determined based on Egypt’s personal status laws, which are faith-based and subject to religious dictates from Al-Azhar and recognized churches. Therefore, anyone who is not officially affiliated with one of the three Abrahamic religions is likely to experience difficulties regarding such matters.

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Politics

Jan 6, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze

Trump and His Lessons Unlearned - TheHumanist.com

This is what happens when there is an epic dearth of experience in the State Department due to unprecedented purges. This is what happens when amateurs have the hubris to believe life is simply black and white. Because of the benefit of hindsight, they believe that those who came before them were academic fools, and they feel certain that their decisions would have been different if they had been the decision maker. They foolheartedly support political actions without fully considering the order...

1 comment

Politics

Mar 3, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Parody Marriage Bill is a Joke - TheHumanist.com

The purpose isn’t just to outlaw marriage equality. The bill goes further in legalizing discrimination against LGBTQ people. The Wyoming bill includes this language: “The state of Wyoming shall no longer enforce, recognize, or respect any policies that treat self-asserted sexual orientation as a suspect class because such policies constitute nonsecular state action.” The South Carolina bill contains the same language. Essentially, that would outlaw anti-discrimination protections for LBGTQ...

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Love & Relationships

Apr 16, 2018Apr 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKLittle Hell on the Prairie - TheHumanist.com

Walking into the restaurant, I knew we’d made a bad choice. The hostess greeted us with indifference, which isn’t especially odd in a small town inundated with outsiders seeking a slice of American history. But what did unnerve me were the silent stares from the locals as we were guided to our booth. Not even a hint of a smile passed across anyone’s face despite my attempt at a warm welcoming glance in every direction. In fact, most diners looked down, avoiding all eye contact. The real...

7 comments

Politics

Feb 28, 2018Feb 2018

Posted by zblaze

118 - The View from Trumpistan A Conversation with Preet Bharara

In this episode of the Waking Up podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Preet Bharara about President Trump and the Russia investigation.

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Religion & Spirituality

Mar 14, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Male Escort Exposes 36 Gay Priests in File Sent to Vatican Containing Explicit WhatsApp Chats and Erotic Photos

The large file contains explicit WhatsApp messages, erotic photos and other evidence, but none of the 40 priests and seminarians were accused of pedophilia or having sexual relations with minors. "We're talking about sins, not crimes," Mangiacapra said. The dossier is the latest in a string of sex scandals that have rocked the Italian church and Vatican. Last month, an Italian court issued a 14-month suspended sentence to a Vatican tribunal judge for sexual molestation and possessing child...

1 comment

Silly, Random & Fun

Sep 16, 2018Sep 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Comics Section: Apostates and Simple Facts - TheHumanist.com

0 comments

General & Hellos

Aug 16, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINKAfter You Die, These Genes Come to Life - The Crux

But while this discovery opens up new possibilities for medical science, the biggest question posed by the research—why some of our genes activate after we die—remains a mystery. Noble thinks clues may lie in the kinds of genes that are reanimating. Though none of the zombie genes seem to make any physical changes after death, many of them are related to activities that are normally closely regulated or inhibited. This includes the gene that tells cells to produce the beginnings of a spinal ...

1 comment

Family & Parenting

Mar 7, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Cardinal George Pell Appears in Court Over ‘Historical’ Sexual Abuse - The New York Times

Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s third-highest-ranking official, arrived at a Melbourne court on Monday for the start of several weeks of hearings to determine whether he will face trial on charges of “historical sexual offenses.” Police officers lined the sidewalk, as a large contingent of the local and international journalists and members of the public watched the cardinal enter the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. The slow-moving case — charges were filed in June — will be ...

1 comment

Academic (e.g., Science)

Apr 26, 2018Apr 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKAsk Ethan: How Will Our Universe End? – Starts With A Bang! – Medium

The stars themselves, however, will continue to burn for a long time. The Universe is already 14 billion years old, but the longest-lived stars today — the low-mass red dwarfs — will continue burning through their fuel extremely slowly: for perhaps more than 100 trillion years. After that, they’ll cool and contract, becoming white dwarfs and eventually going dark, a process that may take upwards of a quadrillion (10¹⁵) years. Even at that, there will still be new chances for ...

2 comments

General & Hellos

Jan 29, 2019Jan 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINK147 - Stephen Fry

FTA: In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Stephen Fry about comedy, atheism, political correctness, meditation, ambition, empathy, psychedelics, Christopher Hitchens, Stephen’s experience of manic depression, and much else.

1 comment

Health & Happiness

Mar 3, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Enlightenment Wow: The Humanist Interview with Steven Pinker - TheHumanist.com

You say that progress without humanism really isn’t progress at all. And you’ve just made the point that humanism can occupy a place in various different perches. But there is a secular humanist movement that is at the forefront of humanism today. Lots of other “isms” have faltered because of human foibles, jealousies, power divisions, ideological differences and so on. What makes humanism so special that you single it out as essential to progress? Pinker: Not so much the humanist ...

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Health & Happiness

Nov 10, 2018Nov 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Ending Needs Work: Humanists Can Lead on End-of-Life Decisions - TheHumanist.com

FTA: Humanists might appear to have a huge disadvantage when it comes to death and dying. We don’t have a rosy afterlife to point to, a reward in heaven to make up for all the suffering here on earth. Death is so very final. David’s loss was hard for me because I knew that everything he was—his thoughts, feelings, memories, personal quirks, his loyal, loving nature—would die along with his physical body. But there is strength in facing that truth unflinchingly. Ironically, the humanists ...

1 comment

Love & Relationships

Mar 3, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

There Are Not Plenty of Other Fish in the Sea: New Study Reveals Global Footprint of Industrial Fishing - TheHumanist.com

Now, more than ever, it is critical to examine our relationship with fish. Marine biologist Sylvia Earle told National Geographic in 2003, “I have heard that the record for a bluefin tuna, a 440-pound (200-kilogram) specimen, sold for $180,000. So this kind of exploitation is not for the starving millions, but driven by high-end appetites.” Earle, who received the American Humanist Association’s Isaac Asimov Science Award last year, went on to say: Most people also don’t know how bad ...

1 comment

Philosophy & Meaning

Mar 14, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze

LINK150 - The Map of Misunderstanding

FTA: March 12, 2019 In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Kahneman at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. They discuss the replication crisis in science, System 1 and System 2, where intuitions reliably fail, expert intuitions, the power of framing, moral illusions, anticipated regret, the asymmetry between threats and opportunities, the utility of worrying, removing obstacles to wanted behaviors, the remembering self vs the experiencing self, improving the ...

0 comments

Politics

Apr 15, 2018Apr 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKThe Vatican’s Secret Lobby - TheHumanist.com

Picture, say, China or Iran controlling one sixth of US hospitals, with power to decide which patients and medical procedures they will or will not handle. Picture them spending millions—maybe hundreds of millions—on a decades-long campaign to win taxpayer funding for brainwashing American children into believing how wonderful the value systems of China or Iran are. Then picture that same country demanding an exemption from the foreign disclosure laws, simply because it promotes unprovable ...

0 comments

Silly, Random & Fun

Mar 4, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

The Comics Section: Compulsive Ritualizing and the Gun Fellowship - TheHumanist.com

0 comments

General & Hellos

Jun 30, 2018Jun 2018

Posted by zblaze

LINKPhotos of the Week: Smoggy Santiago, Miniature Taipei, Mermaid Parade - The Atlantic

♥

1 comment

General & Hellos

Mar 7, 2018Mar 2018

Posted by zblaze

Antisemitism: how the origins of history’s oldest hatred still hold sway today

On the far right, white supremacists have been quick to project their own time-honored fantasies of Jewish malfeasance and power onto contemporary events, however seemingly irrelevant. This was quickly apparent in August 2017, as the future of memorials glorifying those who had rebelled against the union and defended slavery during America’s Civil War became the focus of intense debate in the United States. At Charlottesville, Virginia, demonstrators protesting against the removal of a statue ...

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