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Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 19, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
We Have Reached Peak Pharma. There's Nowhere to Go But Down.
We know that the cost of bringing each of these new drugs to market increases at an exponential rate. Indeed this rate, 9 percent per year, is so steady, persisting unchanged through different regulatory regimes and new technological advances, that it has been given a name: “Eroom’s Law” (Moore’s law in reverse). Nine percent may not sound like much, but it means that costs double every 8 years. In less than a decade, the cost of a new drug approval, now $2.6 billion, will be at $5 ...
2 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 19, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Collision with Reality: What Depth Psychology Can Tell us About Victimhood Culture - Quillette
Some current cultural trends award increased social status to those perceived as victims. Sociologists have posited that a new moral culture of victimhood is developing on college campuses. In such a culture, being a victim raises one’s standing and confers virtue, in part because it mobilizes protection and support from powerful third parties. The increased status of victimhood may account for the rise in “digital self-harm” that researchers have identified when teens cyber-bully ...
1 comment
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 19, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
How many dimensions are there, and what do they do to reality? | Aeon Essays
This enchanting social satire tells the story of a humble Square living on a plane, who is one day visited by a three-dimensional being, Lord Sphere, who propels him into the magnificent world of Solids. In this volumetric paradise, Square beholds a three-dimensional version of himself, the Cube, and begins to dream of pushing on to a fourth, fifth and sixth dimension. Why not a hypercube? And a hyper-hypercube, he wonders? Sadly, back in Flatland, Square is deemed a lunatic, and locked in an...
7 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 18, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Freedom of Expression and the Flight from Reason - Quillette
8. The ‘Born-Again’ Experience. This is a powerful ally of the Manichean mindset. Fresh converts to belief systems can now confidently interpret their pre-conversion lives through the prism of an all-encompassing, all-explaining world-view. Every bad personal experience now ‘fits’ that new view. The convert to a fundamentalist religion now thinks that his new-found faith can perfectly explain everything that was wrong with his life up to that point: perhaps Satan caused his problems, and...
0 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 18, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Wokeness and Myth on Campus
Why are so many of us feeling deep distress each day, sometimes over what seem like relatively trivial or incidental information (like Trump pushing aside heads of state?) Because Trump is sacrilege. Trump is the Piss Christ of liberals and leftists. His every breath is a bb-gun shot through a cathedral window, bacon on the doorstep of a mosque, the explosion of an ancient Buddha statue. He offends against the notion that merit and hard work will be rewarded. Against the idea that ...
1 comment
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 18, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
We’ve forgotten how to debate | Politics | spiked
We’re used to hearing the cliché: ‘I can’t believe how divided we have become.’ But any serious review of Western culture, from the classical age through to the Reformation and the 20th century, shows this to be more than a little fatuous. We have always been divided, and it is these divisions which have created the best and worst in our cultural legacies. However, what has changed is our ability to embrace disagreement. If we honored truth above point-scoring, and dialogue over ...
3 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 17, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
China wants to dominate the world's green energy markets – here's why
“Going green”, then, while undeniably necessary, is a useful image or value to uphold as it serves to legitimate Chinese international and regional leadership. In this sense, it mirrors the way G7 nations espouse “democracy” or “freedom”. Going green also happens to be economically viable for those that have the funds to invest, contributing to China’s transition from the world’s manufacturing base to a truly major power. China’s response to climate change combined with the ...
3 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 17, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Meet “raw” water—ludicrously priced unfiltered water with random bacteria | Ars Technica
Natural water sources are vulnerable to all manner of natural pathogens. These include any bacteria, viruses, and parasites normally found in water or shed from nearby flora and fauna, such as Legionella and Giardia lamblia. They also can easily pick up environmental contaminants and naturally occurring hazards such as radiation from certain mineral deposits. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA has set standards and regulations for 90 different contaminants in tap water, including ...
2 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 ...
1 comment
Religion & Spirituality
Jan 16, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Germany’s Catholic Church counts its many financial blessings – Handelsblatt Global
A Handelsblatt investigation has revealed that the Catholic Church collected €6 billion ($7.1 billion) last year in taxes — a new record. Although more than 2.2 million Germans have formally deregistered from the church since 2000, the robust domestic economy has been a godsend. According to calculations by Handelsblatt, Germany’s 27 dioceses are sitting on a fortune of at least €26 billion, likely making it Europe’s wealthiest Catholic institution aside from the Vatican itself.
1 comment
Family & Parenting
Jan 16, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Catholic Priests May Have Fathered (and Abandoned) Thousands of Children – Friendly Atheist
“I’m doing this to highlight that there are thousands of children of priests around the world and no-one knows about them,” she says. “They are powerless and they’re at the mercy of this institution and that’s just not right.” Through her mentoring work with Coping International and her PhD research Sarah now knows about 100 people who have been fathered by priests, from countries all over the world, but believes there are thousands more out there. She says it’s striking that ...
7 comments
Politics
Jan 15, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Five Reasons FEMA Shouldn’t Rebuild Churches | HuffPost
3. Special rights for religion inherently discriminate against the nonreligious. Even though a number of secular facilities like political, athletic, recreational, vocational, and secular nonprofit facilities remain closed to disaster relief, FEMA has seen fit to make a special exception for churches. Whereas the other facilities are open to everyone, pay taxes on their income and property, and report their finances annually to the government so that they are open for review, churches can ...
3 comments
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. ...
0 comments
News & Links
Jan 15, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Why Isn’t This A Major National Scandal? | Current Affairs
Let me just summarize what Reveal‘s report shows: in rural Oklahoma, a program called Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery (CAAIR) supposedly operates as a diversionary treatment program for drug offenders, that judges can sentence defendants to as an alternative to prison. In reality, CAAIR operates a labor camp, in which residents work long hours in slaughterhouses for large food companies. There is no real “treatment” to speak of, and CAAIR pockets the workers’ wages. Sometimes ...
7 comments
General & Hellos
Jan 15, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
The Comics Section: Taste the Doom of Burning - TheHumanist.com
2 comments
Politics
Jan 14, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
On the Hill: How Arcane Senate Rules Saved the Johnson Amendment (For Now) - TheHumanist.com
MacDonough ultimately ruled that the language within last month’s tax reform bill, which would have weakened the Johnson Amendment, did not comply with the rules of reconciliation, which is the process by which a bill can be approved by a simple majority without the threat of a filibuster. As the language weakening the Johnson Amendment did not have a budgetary impact, which is required for any bill to be considered under the reconciliation process, MacDonough advised that the language be ...
0 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 14, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
How to Celebrate Darwin Day in 2018 - TheHumanist.com
What are your plans to celebrate the originator of the biological theory of evolution? Not much is listed for the West Coast, guess I'll have to hold my own celebration. YAHOOOOOO!
0 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Jan 14, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
A Certain Uncertainty: Brookings Holds Discussion on Recent Iranian Protests - TheHumanist.com
Furthermore, the protests have highlighted the harm inflicted on religion by Iran’s total lack of church-state separation. “There is a sentiment among Iranians to reject everything this government stands for. That includes the Islamic Republic… they reject Islam itself,” Bahari warned, noting a cultural shift towards irreligiosity and Zoroastrian revival among Iranians fed up with the Islamist government. Iran’s increasing reliance on force to suppress dissent can only further damage ...
0 comments
Politics
Jan 14, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Bible Verses, Flyover Voters, and the State of the State - TheHumanist.com
This is why the Establishment Clause is so important and why it is so controversial for religious zealots. Without the separation of church and state, not only would religious and nonreligious minorities be openly and widely discriminated against, but our laws and justice system would be based on false premises and fallacious arguments. The disenfranchised would never be able to defend themselves against the ruling authority through logical discourse. The justice system would incorporate ...
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jan 13, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
It's Colder Than Hoth Out Here - The Atlantic
2 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 13, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Lisa Feldman Barrett: You aren't at the mercy of your emotions -- your brain creates them | TED Talk
Can you look at someone's face and know what they're feeling? Does everyone experience happiness, sadness and anxiety the same way? What are emotions anyway? For the past 25 years, psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett has mapped facial expressions, scanned brains and analyzed hundreds of physiology studies to understand what emotions really are. She shares the results of her exhaustive research -- and explains how we may have more control over our emotions than we think.
1 comment
Politics
Jan 13, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Welcome to Bleak House, America 2018 - TheHumanist.com
And while I wrote the paragraph above it was reported that our president said, regarding immigration, “Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They’re shithole countries … We should have more people from Norway.” I am not so naive as to think the US was perfect before we voted Trump into office. But our political dialogue has never been so coarse. The disregard for human dignity, environmental conservation, economic equilibrium, equality, justice, and the wellbeing of future...
0 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 12, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
The Growth of Mainstream Conservative Conspiracy Theories - Areo
If we are to look at some examples of “fringe” beliefs in popular conservatism, I think my point become more clear. I can’t, for instance, come up with a liberal counterpart to someone like Alex Jones who, to his two million weekly listeners, has touted theories like the use of the US’s “gay bomb,” a souped-up vaccine conspiracy suggesting that vaccine side effects are intentional, or the suggestion that the Sandy Hook shooting was orchestrated. Jones once hosted a guest on his show ...
3 comments
Music, Movies & Books
Jan 12, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
The Handmaid’s Tale held a mirror up to a year of Trump | Matthew d’Ancona | Opinion | The Guardian
It wasn’t just the explicit satire of, say, Saturday Night Live that kept the US president front and centre in cultural life. Lee Hall’s triumphant reworking at the National Theatre of Network, Paddy Chayefsky’s 1976 film about mass media and demagoguery, held a more subtle mirror up to the age of Trump. Shakespeare’s history plays acquired fresh and often unsettling relevance (watch out for the Bridge theatre’s production of Julius Caesar, opening in London next month). Even War ...
0 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 11, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
We’ve been told we’re living in a post-truth age. Don’t believe it.
More examples of the boomerang effect would be presented in the years that followed. In 1973, for example, psychologists presented evidence that the social message of the TV sitcom All in the Family had backfired. The show’s creators aimed to skewer and rebut the attitudes of its central character, the bigot Archie Bunker. But when scientists surveyed high school students in a Midwest town, they found that the most prejudiced teenagers in the group were the ones most likely to be watching ...
3 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 11, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Genetics Rewrites the History of Early America—And, Maybe, the Field of Archaeology Read more:
Using demographic modeling, the researchers concluded that the founding population of Native Americans began splitting from their ancestors in East Asia around 36,000 years ago. By 25,000 years ago, they had made a complete split. By 20,000 years ago, another divergence had happened, this time between the Ancient Beringians and the rest of the Native Americans. And within the next 3,000 to 6,000 years, the Native Americans further divided into Northern and Southern groups.
1 comment
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 11, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Scientists Can Now Blame Individual Natural Disasters on Climate Change - Scientific American
Three papers, for the first time in the Bulletin's history, suggested that the studied events not only were influenced by climate change but could not have occurred without it (Climatewire, Dec. 14, 2017). The studies determined that the record-breaking global temperatures in 2016 (the hottest year ever recorded), extreme heat in Asia and an unusually warm "Blob" of water off the coast of Alaska would all have been impossible in a world where human-caused climate change did not exist.
0 comments
Health & Happiness
Jan 10, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Podcast 113 — Consciousness and the Self
In this episode of the Waking Up podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Anil Seth about the scientific study of consciousness, where consciousness emerges in nature, levels of consciousness, perception as a “controlled hallucination,” emotion, the experience of “pure consciousness,” consciousness as “integrated information,” measures of “brain complexity,” psychedelics, different aspects of the “self,” conscious AI, and many other topics.
4 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 10, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
What Is 'Water Memory'? Why This Homeopathy Claim Doesn't Hold Water
May Nyman, a chemistry professor at Oregon State University, told Live Science that the whole idea of "water memory" doesn't make sense. "I don't believe in water memory, because water molecules move. They're constantly rotating with respect to each other, forming hydrogen bonds, breaking hydrogen bonds," Nyman said. In other words, there's no structure in a solution of liquid water permanent enough to account for any long-term memory, she said. "Introducing ions [electrically charged ...
1 comment
Politics
Jan 9, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Here are 8 ways the religious right wins converts – to atheism
Prooftexting. People who think of the Bible as the literally perfect word of God love to quote excerpts to argue their points. They often start with a verse in 1 Timothy: All scripture is given by inspiration of God. (As if this circular argument would convince anyone but a true believer.) They then proceed to quote whatever authoritarian, anti-gay, or anti-woman verse makes their point, like, Whoever spares the rod hates their children . . . Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings ...
3 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 9, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Rationalists under threat all over the world:
"There are reformers and feminist around the world who are fighting for women's rights. I respect all of them, but there is one true feminist in this world and that is Periyar," she said. "Religion is nothing but fear. How much blood has been shed, how many wars have been fought in this world because of religion?," she asked, adding, "God has never killed anyone for their wrongdoing and has remained a spectator. He would never act or react." "There is a threat for all atheists and ...
2 comments
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
News & Links
Jan 8, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Somersworth atheist raises flag next to Ten Commandments monument
SOMERSWORTH — A Somersworth atheist took his turn at Citizens Place on Tuesday, raising a blue flag with a red “A” on it next to the Ten Commandments monument on city property. Richard Gagnon, a member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, had asked that the flag be raised in December, but agreed to have it fly in January — Diversity and Tolerance Month in Somersworth.
2 comments
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, ...
0 comments
Love & Relationships
Jan 8, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
The Humanist Dilemma: How to Drop out of Religion but Stay in a Marriage - TheHumanist.com
I’ve been doing the same thing throughout my marriage (over two decades) and with our kids since their births. One key difference is that I was clear about my nonbelief before we married and agreed that I would raise the kids in the family faith. I was also clear that I would not make any pretense about my views. So there was no sense that I had unilaterally changed the rules after the wedding vows, which could be an issue in your situation. But the fact is that individuals grow in different ...
0 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 7, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Elif Shafak: The revolutionary power of diverse thought | TED Talk
0 comments
General & Hellos
Jan 7, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Best space and astronomy images of 2017 - Business Insider
More photos...
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jan 7, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Photos of the Week: Chilly Days, a Bearskin Parade, Ready for 2018 - The Atlantic
I hope you guys like photos!
3 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Jan 7, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Michael Wolff Did What Every Other White House Reporter Is Too Cowardly to Do
All of Wolff’s excerpts from Fire & Fury so far (the book was rushed into stores today) read like jayvee fan fiction. They read like a pilot that Steve Bannon himself wrote, pitched to Hollywood, and had rejected 17 times over. They read, in short, like bullshit. And yet…Wolff has audio. He’s got hours upon hours of audio. Not only that, but the book has already caused legitimate upheaval in the administration, opened a permanent rift between President Trump and Bannon, AND it confirms ...
6 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jan 7, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Anthropology top findings 2017 - SAPIENS
Oldest Fossils of Homo sapiens Discovered in Morocco An adult hominin’s fossil jawbone, found at the Jebel Irhoud site in Morocco, includes teeth similar to those of anatomically modern humans. The stratigraphic date of 300,000 years ago is surprising because, prior to this finding, the oldest Homo sapiens fossils—found in Ethiopia—date to about 195,000 years ago. The jawbone supports the emerging picture that H. sapiens was widely present across the African continent 100,000 years ...
8 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Jan 6, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Joseph: Confessions of an Almost-Invisible Man - YouTube
3 comments
Health & Happiness
Jan 6, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Atheist Billboards in the Bible Belt (with David Silverman) - YouTube
4 comments
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
Health & Happiness
Jan 5, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Being an atheist shows you that every minute is sacred
From the article: As an atheist, I knew that was it. My father wasn’t looking down upon me from some cushy cloud, with harp music in the background. I could take no comfort in belief in an afterlife, or the notion that life on earth is just a journey towards some spiritual payoff in another dimension. I’m pretty convinced that what we do here and now is all that we get. His death only strengthened my belief—which was also his—that every second, minute, hour, and day is sacred.
10 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Jan 5, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Religion may alter your psychology, even if you're a non-believer
Even if you don’t believe in Christ or a God, religion can still be a powerful force. Research shows that even nonreligious people may hold unconscious beliefs linked to religion that can affect their psychology. Read more: The mathematics of Christmas: a review of the Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus By many measures, religion in Australia, New Zealand and the USA is declining – but Christianity still shapes the culture and politics of these societies, from the holidays ...
5 comments
Politics
Jan 5, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Egypt’s parliament in bid to ban atheism
“Atheists in Egypt are afraid to publicly come out as such," Hazem, 35, told Al-Monitor. "If you proclaim yourself a nonbeliever, you literally open the gates of hell; you stand to lose many of your friends and will be treated like an outcast. Your own family may accuse you of mental illness and possibly disown you. We are being forced to live as hypocrites for fear of facing discrimination and harassment.” Hazem, who asked to be identified with a pseudonym for his protection, was born and ...
5 comments
Politics
Jan 4, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Black Secular Teen Activists: Unchurched and “Un-bossed” | HuffPost
While I do dislike the cult-like, elitist nature of Christianity, I do not live without a moral compass. None of us do; the human propensity consists of the need to delineate good and evil. Why attach divisive religions to this natural phenomenon? Good and evil mingle inside each and every one of us. Virtue is not static; I love the liberation that comes with writing the rules as I go. My agnosticism is rooted in my introspective nature; I imbibe the world around me to produce thoughts and ...
5 comments
Health & Happiness
Jan 3, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Facts in a Sea of Fiction: The Search for Reliable Health Science in the Internet Age | HuffPost
Many people are all too willing to accept sketchy science at face value, and are almost entirely unwilling to follow up with reliable research. The anti-vaccination movement is an appropriate example. Vaccination Disorientation There aren’t many medical theories that have been as soundly and thoroughly disproven as the proposed connection between vaccinations and autism. The amount of reliable research invalidating the connection is staggering, and Andrew Wakefield, the researcher whose ...
1 comment
News & Links
Jan 3, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Podcast 112 — The Intellectual Dark Web
In this episode of the Waking Up podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Eric Weinstein and Ben Shapiro about the breakdown of shared values, the problem with identity politics, religion, free will, the primacy of reason, and many other topics.
2 comments
Politics
Jan 3, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
National Atheist Agnostic Association Asks Kay Ivey To Quit Preaching
The Freedom From Religion Foundation believes that a government entity, the office of the governor cannot endorse religious messages. These religious messages violate the Establishment Clause by communicating that the department and the state of Alabama prefer religion, specifically Christianity, over nonreligion and all minority faiths. “The Supreme Court has long recognized that the First Amendment ‘mandates governmental neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion ...
2 comments
News & Links
Jan 2, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Atheist Flag Will Be Raised Over Ten Commandments Monument : NPR
On a small bit of land in Somersworth, N.H., two very different symbols are soon going to be sharing a space. At ground level, a monument of the Ten Commandments. Just above it, the atheist flag will blow in the breeze. New Hampshire Public Radio's Todd Bookman reports.
0 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Jan 2, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Evangelicals: Unintentional Atheist Allies | HuffPost
Many people, especially millennials, are moving away from the WEP “Christian values,” and they are being welcomed by atheists and humanists who support civil rights and social justice issues. Some former or present Christians now believe that our humanist positions are more consistent with the message of Jesus than with the message of the WEP. We don’t think selling pastries to gay people is worse than pedophilia. And “Nones” know how many references there are to abortion in the ...
3 comments
Politics
Jan 1, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Nobody is laughing at the Religious Left in 2017 – ThinkProgress
Falwell and Jeffress also supported Trump’s deeply controversial comments after a person protesting white supremacists was killed and several others wounded in Charlottesville, Virginia in August. Many were outraged after Trump blamed “both sides” for the violence, but his evangelical supporters stood by him: Falwell called Trump’s remarks “bold” and “truthful,” Jeffress blamed the media for misrepresenting his comments, and Graham cast aspersions on local politicians instead of ...
7 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Jan 1, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
White Christianity is in big trouble. And it’s its own biggest threat. - The Washington Post
This year, however, it’s increasingly difficult not to notice that the main threat to Christianity in America comes from American Christians themselves. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard a case from a baker who argued his Christian convictions led him to refuse to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Last week, we witnessed the spectacle of white Christians in Alabama who convinced themselves either that the man they hoped to elect as their senator was not so creepy around ...
6 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Jan 1, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Evangelical Christianity Is Facing a Political Crisis: It Will Need More Than a Makeover | Alternet
When one treats the Bible as the literally perfect and complete word of God—which most Christian scholars don’t but most evangelicals do—it isn’t hard to find support for every item in the ugly list that now darkens the evangelical brand. The Bible contains some really bad ideas. The opposite is also true, mind you. It also contains support for compassion, love, generosity, inclusion, and humility—and many other virtues that humanity values widely across both secular and religious ...
2 comments
Politics
Jan 1, 2018Jan 2018

Posted by zblaze
Religion and politics should not mix, says British public - National Secular Society
65% of respondents thought that political figures should keep their religious beliefs cordoned off from their decision making, with just 14% saying the opposite. The remaining 21% chose neither option or said they did not know. The findings echo the recommendations of the National Secular Society's Manifesto for Change, which urges a fundamental rethink of religion's public role and specifically calls for an end to automatic seats 'as of right' for religious clerics. Responding the latest ...
8 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Dec 24, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
JESUS CHRIST: OUR LORD AND SAVIOR ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE VS SANTA CLAUS: THE COUNTERFEIT ACCORDING TO MYTH OF MEN 1. Has white hair like wool (Rev 1:14) 1. Has white hair like wool 2. Has a beard (Isaiah 50:6) 2. Has a beard 3. Comes in red apparel ...
6 comments
Health & Happiness
Dec 24, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Sam Harris Podcast
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Silly, Random & Fun
Dec 24, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
The Comics Section: Sundays, Tax "Reform," and and Christian Love - TheHumanist.com
3 of them today.
3 comments
Politics
Dec 24, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Rules Are for Schmucks: Defunding Palestine - TheHumanist.com
Severing all relations with the Palestinian pseudo-government would be a major step toward busting the myth of the “two-state solution.” There never was a two-state solution, and there will never be one. Israel never had the slightest intention of allowing Palestine any more sovereignty rights than a South African Bantustan during apartheid, and it never will. Nor should it. The whole idea of drawing a line on a map and putting God experts who loathe each other in charge of the guns on ...
5 comments
General & Hellos
Dec 23, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Happy Solstice everyone.
2 comments
Health & Happiness
Dec 23, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Overdoses Are Rising because the War on Drugs Isn’t Over - TheHumanist.com
The colorblind economic analysis of the opioid epidemic presented in Forbes ignores the historical impacts of the War on Drugs and therefore, as NPR’s Sam Sanders would say, is incomplete and most likely deceptive. This decades-old “war” further politicized America’s fears of Blackness and bolstered the economic power of the prison and military systems. With more white people experiencing overdose, compassion—rather than fear or hatred—is fueling more decisions. Society has a sudden ...
1 comment
Politics
Dec 23, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Johnson Amendment Still in Danger - TheHumanist.com
All of this is to say that while we should be thankful that tax reform didn’t result in repeal of the Johnson Amendment, we must keep our eyes on the other pieces of legislation which would do massive damage to the amendment and the separation between church and state.
2 comments
Health & Happiness
Dec 22, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
The Making of a Modern Pilgrim - TheHumanist.com
A primal need resides in us all to bear witness and talk to our fellow travelers on this pilgrimage of life that, though we may disagree on much of it, such as origin and destination, should serve as a means of rejoicing in our shared humanity with its wonderful and stirring muddle of contradictions and finer aspirations. The more I hiked on, the deeper this sank in—with a palpable result. My energy levels rocketed. Bitterness and regret evaporated. Two decades were knocked off leaving me ...
0 comments
Politics
Dec 22, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Debunking the Rise of Democratic Christian Voters - TheHumanist.com
In Krattenmaker’s estimation, “By doing a good job of messaging and policy-making around these important issues, the Democratic party will be reaching out to many religious voters while addressing the concerns and values of secular people at the same time. It’s not about religion. It’s about values.” This strategy will enable them to reach out to both black evangelical voters and the nones, two ignored voting blocks that have the potential to shape both the 2018 and 2020 elections.
4 comments
Politics
Dec 22, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Your Tax Dollars at Work Supporting Religion - TheHumanist.com
The fact that government dollars—state and local—support religious schools raises serious issues pertaining to the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution. In addition, these schools are sometimes unaccredited and therefore unregulated, which means they aren’t required to follow the same rules as public schools with regard to safety or curriculum. As a result, science classes may teach creationism and geology may cover just 6,000 years. Further, religious schools don’t face the ...
3 comments
Health & Happiness
Dec 21, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
How the Loss of Critical Reasoning is Harming America - TheHumanist.com
So we began in this new world wishing with all our hearts that this place we imagined as the empty slate could fulfill all the dreams and fantasies the English settlers had, whether they were dreams of a supernatural New Jerusalem and Garden of Eden or dreams of instant wealth, El Dorado. We codified that essential American ultra-liberty and ultra-individualism: “I can believe whatever I want,” which is a residue of the Enlightenment. For most of our history the people in charge of our ...
3 comments
Politics
Dec 21, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Call in the Robocops - TheHumanist.com
Among the ads that have since been traced back to Russian origins were many that used vicious stereotypes and scare tactics: they mocked gays, smeared immigrants, invoked the devil, and portrayed Hillary Clinton as in league with Muslim terrorists. “The social media ads, posts and pages that have been revealed to come from Russian agencies or operatives in 2016 used explicitly anti-Black, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant stereotypes to undermine the American electoral system, suppress voter ...
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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.
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Silly, Random & Fun
Dec 20, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
The Comics Section: Self-Centered Unitarians and Po-tah-toes - TheHumanist.com
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General & Hellos
Dec 20, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Ahead of the Curve: Virtual Reality and Empathy - TheHumanist.com
In my more pedestrian view, humanity has seen a series of technological advances in the capacity of one human to communicate experiences to another. Oral speech, written speech, printing, moving pictures, broadcast, the internet—each one improves the ability to convey ideas and sensations between humans. VR is another positive step along that path. It will be also be used for lots of frivolous purposes ­– if you want to make some money, invest in VR sex—but it can and should be used to ...
3 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Dec 19, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Proselytizing Public School Official: ‘I’ll Stop When Someone Makes Me Stop’ | American Civil Liberties Union
School officials have implied that students must take the Bible literally and have stated that evolution is a “fairy tale.” The “Daily Objectives,” posted in one teacher’s classroom, tell students to “Pray Daily!,” “Love God!,” “Study His Word,” and “Worship God.” Religious groups and performers, such as the Christian rapper Mynista, have been invited to appear at school assemblies to proselytize students.
10 comments
Family & Parenting
Dec 19, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Advocating Equality: The Case for a More Frugal Santa Claus - TheHumanist.com
When Johnny comes to class the next week, what will he think of his generous sneakers from Santa when Sam has the newest iPhone X at the age of ten? Was Sam morally a better boy over the year than Johnny? That is a tough pill to swallow at any age, but especially under the guise of a story about a benevolent bestower who judges you only based on your good or naughty acts. We all learn in due time that life is unfair, but this is not the lesson of Santa Claus.
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Politics
Dec 19, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Franken's Fate and the Complexity of Unilateral Disarmament - TheHumanist.com
If the MeToo moment is going to claim success in keeping predators out of power, we have to ensure that Gessen is ultimately wrong. We cannot be satisfied with only toppling the deeply flawed politicians on our own side. And we cannot accept that Trump’s supporters and the Republicans in Congress will put up with any bad behavior from their side as long as it means that their terrible tax bill will be passed. It’s Trump’s turn to have his feet held to the fire.
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Philosophy & Meaning
Dec 18, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
What I Learned from 11 Humanist Groups in 11 Days - TheHumanist.com
Since I like hearing differences of opinion, I included a few potentially controversial excerpts each time. Generally this was well received, but a couple of people at both Jewish humanist organizations were upset by my piece on Why I No Longer Support Israel, in which I said the Law of Return for Jews has outlived its usefulness. (I think displaced Palestinians are more deserving of the right to return than I am. Why should American Jews have the right to “return” to a place they may have ...
3 comments
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
Silly, Random & Fun
Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
1 comment
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
Religion & Spirituality
Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
PROOF Religion Compromises Moral Judgement (Dan Barker) - YouTube
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Family & Parenting
Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
If the World Was Ending, What Would Your Last Message Be? - The New York Times
The astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission trained in the desert of the Western United States — formerly Native American land — in order to prepare themselves for the final frontier. According to an old joke, a native chief asked the astronauts if they could pass on a message to the holy spirits who live on the moon. The man spoke some words in his own language, and when the astronauts asked what the message meant, the chief told them it was a secret between his tribe and the moon spirits. But ...
5 comments
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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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
Academic (e.g., Science)
Dec 16, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
The history of our world in 18 minutes | David Christian - YouTube
1 comment
Philosophy & Meaning
Dec 16, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
How the discovery of extraterrestrial life would change morality | Aeon Essays
In academic philosophy today, an interest in extraterrestrial life is regarded with some suspicion. This is a historical anomaly. In Ancient Greece, Epicureans argued that every possible form of life must recur infinitely many times in an infinite universe. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, as modern astronomy demonstrated that our Earth is just another planet and our Sun just another star, the default hypothesis among informed observers was that the Universe is filled with habitable planets...
2 comments
Politics
Dec 16, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Beyond the Johnson Amendment: More Reasons for Humanists to Worry about the Tax Bill - TheHumanist.com
Congressional Republicans’ contempt for secular public education is on full display. The Senate version of the bill includes an amendment introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) allowing parents to use tax-free college savings accounts to pay for private school tuition. A similar provision exists in the House version. Nearly eight-in-ten students attending private schools and about seven-in-ten private schools are religious in nature, most of these Christian. Our elected officials are making it ...
2 comments
Silly, Random & Fun
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Born to be Wild (Senior Citizen's Version) - YouTube
1 comment
Philosophy & Meaning
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Roy Moore's white female voters are part of a long history of internalized misogyny
In fact, the phenomenon is nothing new. This acute cognitive dissonance has historical roots relating to how women have been conditioned to treat their own kind. It is what feminists identify as the consequences of patriarchy: the pervasiveness of the belief that men and women are born with two different sets of values and worth. When taken to the extreme, this belief holds that women are less than, and should be considered possessions of men to be used and abused as men please. This ...
3 comments
Health & Happiness
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Coalitional Instincts | Edge.org
Forming coalitions around scientific or factual questions is disastrous, because it pits our urge for scientific truth-seeking against the nearly insuperable human appetite to be a good coalition member. Once scientific propositions are moralized, the scientific process is wounded, often fatally. No one is behaving either ethically or scientifically who does not make the best case possible for rival theories with which one disagrees.
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Politics
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Why Al Gore isn't giving up the climate change fight - The Verge
The bipartisanship hit very high levels, until Barack Obama was elected and the Koch brothers and others financed the National Tea Party movement, began in January of ‘09 and coincided with the harsh impact of the Great Recession. The hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the Koch brothers and Exxon Mobil and other large carbon polluters intentionally created a partisan wedge that had at its principal target Barack Obama and his administration. So anyone who’s visible in the ...
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Health & Happiness
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
False Claims for Acupuncture – Science-Based Medicine
These were just the first reviews to come up, and so is not a thorough or systematic assessment. However, this is generally what we find – there may be some positive evidence, but we can’t really say, the study quality is too low, etc. When we do get really rigorous clinical trials, they generally show that acupuncture does not work – it does not matter where you stick the needles, if they even penetrate the skin, or if you even use needles at all. So part of the problem comes from ...
1 comment
Politics
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Masterpiece Cakeshop, “religious liberty,” and the culture wars - Vox
The idea that “religious liberty” is a mere cover for bigotry is misguided. The existing law of accommodation already contains within itself the resources to reject the claims that most trouble the left. The broader attack on religious liberty is inconsistent with the aspiration to have a society that is broadly hospitable to diversity. Deep disagreement about moral fundamentals is nothing new; it is what religious diversity consists of. That ought to include disagreement about such ...
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Religion & Spirituality
Dec 14, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
How Megachurches Blurred the Line Between Religion and Riches | HowStuffWorks
Many megachurches preach a prosperity gospel, the idea that God wants us to be rich, and if you aren't, it's through some fault of your own. By tithing to the church as much money as possible, you show your faith in the Lord and it — according to the church — will return to you, the parishioner, a hundredfold. Of course, only the pastors seem to be getting rich; many of them claim millions of dollars a year in salary, as well as perks like private jets or houses the size of hotels. The ...
1 comment
Politics
Dec 14, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Gift Guide
2017 was the year of the “red pill,” a term used first used online by men’s rights activists that alludes to a scene in the sci-fi movie “The Matrix” where the protagonist must decide between taking a “blue pill” that will allow him to continue living in blissful ignorance or a “red pill” that will awaken him to the bitter realities of the world. Online, recruits to the alt-right swallow metaphorical “red pills” when they finally internalize an alternate reality where ...
4 comments
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
Academic (e.g., Science)
Dec 14, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Can Celebrity Scientists Change The Way People Think About Science And Religion? : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture : NPR
It's also unclear whether learning about Collins shifted perspectives because he explicitly endorsed collaboration, or because his identity as a scientist and a Christian was itself a challenge to some forms of conflict. Similarly, it could be that Dawkins was unpersuasive not because his perspective was itself unconvincing, but because respondents found him less credible or trustworthy: Research has consistently found that, on average, Americans distrust atheists far more than they distrust ...
5 comments
Politics
Dec 13, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
How religious groups are responding to the Masterpiece Bakeshop Supreme Court case - Vox
If the Court rules in favor of Phillips, it would be a huge blow to LGBTQ civil rights laws — and not just in the context of bakeries. It could also open a legal path to anti-LGBTQ discrimination in multiple settings, from the workplace to housing, by letting business owners — even in states where such discrimination is prohibited — cite their religious beliefs to discriminate. At the same time, it’s worth remembering that should the Supreme Court find against Phillips, they may ...
3 comments
Music, Movies & Books
Dec 12, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
This Scientist Wants to Bring ‘Star Trek’ Values to Congress
She says that as a vulcanologist, Star Trek references are a fact of life, since pretty much everyone she meets makes a joke about her studying Vulcans. Her standard response is to give the Vulcan salute and say “live long and prosper.” “Its convenient because it’s something I actually believe in,” she says. “I do want people to live long and prosper, so I’d say it’s a pretty universally OK message.” Listen to the complete interview with Jess Phoenix in Episode 284 of ...
4 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Dec 12, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Why 'Judeo-Christian values' are a dog-whistle myth peddled by the far right
It might seem neighbourly, even pluralistic, to include Judaism in a declaration of purported Western values. But in reality this isn’t how the term has functioned, either historically or more recently. Instead, the phrase is used to exclude rather than include. Despite implying that Jews are part of this resurrection of Judeo-Christian values, Trump in no way intends a campaign to Make Hanukkah Great Again. His “Judeo-Christian values” are about protecting Christmas, and about protecting ...
1 comment
Politics
Dec 12, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Roy Moore: Will this outsider make Trump eat his words? - BBC News
1 comment
Politics
Dec 12, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Church Militant: A Right-Wing Media Empire in the Making - YouTube
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