tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23156019294934585712024-02-21T11:11:55.571-06:00DispraxisReligious, biblical and textual criticism, agnosticism, atheism and skepticism.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.comBlogger271125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-86479999992694931862011-08-02T17:59:00.000-05:002011-08-02T17:59:00.394-05:00Contest: free signed John Loftus anthology The End of Christianity<h3>CONTEST!: Win a signed copy of the John Loftus anthology The End of Christianity!</h3><br />
Here are the contest details:<br />
1) The contest is open to members of Think Atheist with a Twitter account. Create one now so that you're prepared ahead of time for the contest.<br />
<br />
2) The contest will be held 9AM Friday August 5th to 12PM Sunday August 7th. (All times are Eastern US. <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html" target="_blank">Here's a timezone converter</a> for those in other timezones around the world.)<br />
<br />
3) You will be considered to have entered the contest when, as a Think Atheist member, you take to Twitter between the hours of 9AM Friday August 5th and 12PM Sunday August 7th to follow <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/ThinkAtheist" target="_blank">Think Atheist on Twitter</a> and tweet a specific phrase. This page will be updated Friday morning with the specific phrase that will need to be tweeted. (It does no good to attempt, on the basis of our previous contests, to try to guess the phrase as tweets sent before the contest won't be counted. Having said that, if you'd like to follow Think Atheist on Twitter ahead of time there's no problem whatsoever in your doing so. And certainly it's a good idea to join Think Atheist ahead of time.) <br />
<br />
4) One entry per person. Multiple entries will not count and may result in your being excluded from the contest entirely!<br />
<br />
5) At the conclusion of the contest we will randomly draw 3 numbers corresponding to 3 entries. Winners will be announced on the <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thinkatheist/2011/08/08/episode-20-dr-hector-avalos-john-loftus-aug-7-2011" target="_blank">Think Atheist Radio Show</a> on August 7th beginning at 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern*. Make sure you tune in to the show to see if you've won! (Remember, if you can't listen live you can listen to the show from the archive at any time immediately following its having aired live!) *Should any of the chosen entrants not be verified as Think Atheist members and as followers of Think Atheist on Twitter we will then randomly select another entrant. This will continue until such time as we have 3 verified Think Atheist members/Think Atheist Twitter followers as winners.<br />
<br />
6) Winners MUST contact Nelson by emailing Nelson at iThinkAtheist.com with their address, a link to their Think Atheist profile page, and a link to their Twitter within 48 hours of the announcement of the winners to be eligible to receive their prize.** Upon verification of their eligibility as Think Atheist members and Twitter followers of Think Atheist we will take the shipping addresses of the winners and forward them to the publisher. All costs of shipping the book will be handled at no cost to the winners, whether a winner is within or without the US. <br />
**IF YOU DO NOT CONTACT NELSON AT NELSON AT ITHINKATHEIST.COM WITHIN 48 HOURS TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE YOU WILL FORFEIT THE PRIZE AND ANOTHER WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN. THIS WILL GO ON UNTIL WE HAVE 3 CONFIRMED WINNERS THAT HAVE CLAIMED THEIR PRIZE<br />
<h1> </h1>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-39229293679732004032011-08-01T01:20:00.000-05:002011-08-01T01:20:52.908-05:00Audio book free previews - Robert M. Price - Night of the Living Savior - read by the Bible Geek himself!<h2 style="color: #0000;"><b>Please, click the Donate button to assist Robert M. Price and his family!</b></h2>They can really use your help.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-81121902150967775542011-04-19T10:37:00.000-05:002011-04-19T10:37:19.240-05:001966: the good ol' days.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/1966/1101660408_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/1966/1101660408_400.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>"Personally, I've never been confronted with the question of God," says one such politely indifferent atheist, Dr. Claude Lévi-Strauss, professor of social anthropology at the Collège de France. "I find it's perfectly possible to spend my life knowing that we will never explain the universe."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-22083011863828698852011-04-01T18:56:00.000-05:002011-04-01T18:56:46.333-05:00Some Jordanian Lead Plates 'made of people,' Miskatonic scientists reveal.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcoFJ5d6ipKdTtG0T-nrMe4ZrSjBkM3N1nCYSMO5RP7OflLDMlkkYvqX7dlhZktKG24umLFbYIXGJS1huMavIvgT2XHc7dxmJhbgNw45wCxuqWNPjq_6V5tBrPwZbTXb8rYCGsCbKTyg/s1600/its+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcoFJ5d6ipKdTtG0T-nrMe4ZrSjBkM3N1nCYSMO5RP7OflLDMlkkYvqX7dlhZktKG24umLFbYIXGJS1huMavIvgT2XHc7dxmJhbgNw45wCxuqWNPjq_6V5tBrPwZbTXb8rYCGsCbKTyg/s320/its+people.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">April Fools!</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-30426632748488431892011-02-16T13:16:00.001-06:002011-02-16T13:16:44.570-06:00Dispraxis was edited<div id="container" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #333333; font-family: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em;"><div id="logo" style="float: right;"><img height="40" src="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/f/1223945001/diagroup_logo.png" /></div><h1 style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0pt;">Recent changes on <b><a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/?_ci=15021.00BPw6-2" id="viewall" style="color: #003366;">Dispraxis</a></b></h1><div id="summary" style="color: #444444; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><ul style="margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 0pt;"><li><b>Page</b> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=3042663274848843189#page-My%20questions%20to%20Dr%20Robert%20M%20Price%20in%20mp3%20format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></li>
</ul></div><div class="page" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(238, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 1em;"><div style="float: right;"><img height="48" src="http://img.pbworks.com/uimg.php?u=95dd0646e1ea8e6fa0d03e199a8c790cc69e1fcb&v=1241625152&sq=no" width="48" /></div><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0pt;"><b>Page</b> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/w/page/27107474/My-questions-to-Dr-Robert-M-Price-in-mp3-format?_ci=15021.00BPw6-3" name="page-My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></h2><div style="color: #777777; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0.5em 0pt 0pt;">edited by John F. Felix (diagroup)</div><div class="item" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); color: #777777; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 1em 0pt; padding: 1em;"><i>Added links to my last two questions to Dr. Robert M. Price, the Bible Geek, in .mp3 format.</i> </div><div class="footer" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.75em; margin: 0pt;">Edited at 11:00 AM on February 16, 2011</div></div><div class="footer"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;"> Manage your notification settings or just unsubscribe. </span> </div><div id="pblogo" style="float: right;"><img height="30" src="http://pbworks.com/em/pbworkslogo.png/15021.00BPw6-1" width="100" /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-23961932549247593702010-11-18T10:43:00.001-06:002010-11-18T10:57:05.149-06:00Dispraxis was edited<div id="container" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #333333; font-family: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em;"><div id="logo" style="float: right;"><img height="40" src="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/f/1223945001/diagroup_logo.png" /></div><h1 style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0pt;">Recent changes on <b><a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/?_ci=14931.ryYMAB-2" id="viewall" style="color: #003366;">Dispraxis</a></b></h1><div id="summary" style="color: #444444; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><ul style="margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 0pt;"><li><b>Page</b> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=2396193254924759370#page-My%20questions%20to%20Dr%20Robert%20M%20Price%20in%20mp3%20format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></li>
</ul></div><div class="page" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(238, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 1em;"><div style="float: right;"><img height="48" src="http://img.pbworks.com/uimg.php?u=95dd0646e1ea8e6fa0d03e199a8c790cc69e1fcb&v=1241625152&sq=no" width="48" /></div><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0pt;"><b>Page</b> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/w/page/27107474/My-questions-to-Dr-Robert-M-Price-in-mp3-format?_ci=14931.ryYMAB-3" name="page-My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></h2><div style="color: #777777; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0.5em 0pt 0pt;">edited by John F. Felix </div><div class="item" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); color: #777777; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 1em 0pt; padding: 1em;">Question # 7: Jesus curses the fig tree. (2010/08/24) I have yet to rediscover the web page that mentions other tree-cursing stories from antiquity. Any help?<br />
Note: I have had some email correspondence with the author of: 'Mythology, Menstruation and the "Woman with the Issue of Blood,"' Andre Zsigmond, on the site http://www.goddess-pages.co.uk, concerning alternate interpretations of the tree-cursing motif. He sent along some interesting links:<br />
http://www.asphodel-long.com/html/asherah.html<br />
http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM05/spotlight.htm<br />
# <i style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(221, 255, 221); color: #00aa00; font-style: normal;">8: Does the Torah prohibit blood transfusions? (2010/11/17)</i><br />
Copyright (c) 2010 by John F. Felix. All rights reserved.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="footer" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.75em; margin: 0pt;">Edited at 11:30 AM on November 18, 2010</div></div><div class="footer"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;"> Manage your notification settings or just unsubscribe. </span> </div><div id="pblogo" style="float: right;"><img height="30" src="http://pbworks.com/em/pbworkslogo.png/14931.ryYMAB-1" width="100" /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-16107743618888933732010-11-03T08:26:00.000-05:002010-11-03T08:26:24.664-05:00One Week to Carl Sagan Day! How are you celebrating?<style type="text/css">
/* common --------------------------------------------------*/ body { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: #333; background: #eee; } #BodyImposter { color: #444; background: #eee; width: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; } #BodyImposter p, #BodyImposter ol, #BodyImposter ul { margin: 0em 0em 1em 0em; } #BodyImposter img { border: 0px; } #BodyImposter small { font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.3em; } #BodyImposter ol { padding-left: 3em; } #Primary img { margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px; } #Primary ul { padding-left: 3em; } #BodyImposter ol li { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; } #Primary blockquote { color: #555; padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 1em; } #Primary li, #Primary p, #Primary td { font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif !important; } #Primary { text-align: left; } /* links --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter a { text-decoration: underline; } #Primary a:link, #Primary a:visited { color: #3160BE; background: #fff; text-decoration: underline; } #Footer a:link, #Footer a:visited { color: #444; background: transparent; text-decoration: underline; } #BodyImposter a:hover { text-decoration: underline; color: #000; } #BodyImposter a:active { color: #000; background: #fff; text-decoration: none; } /* heads --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter h1 { color: #333333; background: #fff; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 20px; } #BodyImposter h2 { color: #333333; background: #fff; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 1.0em 0em 0.5em 0em; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 20px; } #Primary h1,h2 { font-size: 22px; color: #333333; padding-bottom: .2em; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; text-align: center; } #Primary h3 { font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin: 1.5em 0em 1em 0em; color: #333333; } #Primary h4 { font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0; color: #000000; } #Primary h5 { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: #333; font-weight: bold; margin: 1em 0; } /* boxes --------------------------------------------------*/ #Box { color: #444; background: #fff; margin: 0px auto; } #Content { border: 1px solid #d3d3d3; } #Footer { margin: 0px auto; } #Footer p { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; } #Masthead { width: 100%; text-align: center; }
</style> <br />
<div id="BodyImposter" style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444;"><table border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0" id="Box" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; margin-top: 15px; width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="Masthead" style="width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=0HOLZusqPwV53wI1Yu9jyg.."><img alt="" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11625.gif" /></a> </td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" id="Content" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"> <td id="Primary" style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 12px;"> <h1 style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=kJB33vSCYrx8VyaqAud8dg.."><img align="right" alt="Carl Sagan at the VLA" border="0" height="296" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/content/pagebuilder/13485.jpg" width="232" /></a>Carl Sagan Day: November 9<br />
Celebrate with us!</h1>Carl Sagan was a Professor of Astronomy and Space Science and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, but most of us know him as a Pulitzer Prize winning author and the creator of COSMOS. That Emmy and Peabody award-winning PBS television series transformed educational television when it first aired in 1980, but now, thirty years later, it's gone on to affect the hearts and minds of over a billion people in sixty countries.<br />
No other scientist has been able to reach and teach so many nonscientists in such a meaningful way, and that is why we honor Dr. Sagan, remember his work, and revel in the cosmos he helped us understand.<br />
Last year’s inaugural Carl Sagan Day <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=ZlUyAXPXKPkyPU0nD6N_kg..">event in Ft. Lauderdale</a> was a fantastic success. They're back again this year and now other groups around the world are planning their own tributes with science fairs, planetarium shows, teacher workshops, star parties, COSMOS marathons, and more – all to say “Thanks!” to Sagan and to <b><i>bring his gifts to another generation of “star stuff.”</i></b><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Look for events already planned near you and<br />
check back with us for updates at <br />
<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=SbsBgJ7MKmORWJbE36oU-w..">carlsaganday.org!</a></h3>Whether you're an independent skeptics group, an astronomy club or a science department, a researcher, a teacher, or a student, let us know how you're planning to commemorate Carl Sagan Day 2010 and we'll add your event to our Carl Sagan Day event calendar to help spread the word. <br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Please email your event information to centerforinquiry.net.</h3><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=4nxJXzF3O50PvuDJlKV_Ig.."><img align="middle" alt="cosmos necklaces" border="0" height="85" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/content/pagebuilder/13342.jpg" width="499" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>LIMITED TIME ONLY! Don't forget to check out our CFI Store where you can find<br />
special edition <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=jWXfI29EJ-4uKETS8pMJlA..">COSMOS-themed necklace pendants</a> made by hand by <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=IAhcFGxIN2lHi4qAM9BbkQ..">Surly-Ramics</a>!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><hr style="background-color: #dddddd; border: 0px none; color: #dddddd; height: 1px;" /><h6 class="photocaption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
COSMOS imagery and logo copyright © 1980 Druyan-Sagan Associates, Inc. formerly known as Carl Sagan Productions, Inc. For more information about CFI or Carl Sagan Day, please visit <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=AC6onDh3SrWuzdkKshpUHQ..">carlsaganday.org</a> or email centerforinquiry.net.</h6><br />
<img height="1" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/PixelServer?j=bCWQQLyl-XDy9_eQ9yWn1g.." width="1" /> </span></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0" id="Footer" style="width: 610px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">©2010 <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=wlmrb1INZ_BqKjuv__evDw..">Center for Inquiry</a> · 3965 Rensch Road · Amherst, NY 14228 </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0.5em;">(716) xxx-xxxxx · centerforinquiry.net</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0.5em;">Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0.5em;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></div><div id="cv-poweredBy"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=RNXWzLnuiWRwmoPIKPnpkg.." title="online fundraising, advocacy & donor database"> <img alt="powered by CONVIO" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/powered_by_convio.gif" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=9B1eWdf8K2Ov-5LwJ9ijiQ.." title="Nonprofit Fundraising Software">nonprofit software </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-65698032429386689192010-10-25T17:14:00.000-05:002010-10-25T17:14:23.349-05:00Dispraxis was edited<div id="container" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #333333; font-family: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em;"><div id="logo" style="float: right;"><img height="40" src="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/f/1223945001/diagroup_logo.png" /></div><h1 style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0pt;">Recent changes on <b><a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/?_ci=14901.pBOdE6-2" id="viewall" style="color: #003366;">Dispraxis</a></b></h1><div id="summary" style="color: #444444; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><ul style="margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 0pt;"><li><b>Page</b> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=6569803242938668919#page-My%20questions%20to%20Dr%20Robert%20M%20Price%20in%20mp3%20format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></li>
</ul></div><div class="page" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(238, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 1em;"><div style="float: right;"><img height="48" src="http://img.pbworks.com/uimg.php?u=95dd0646e1ea8e6fa0d03e199a8c790cc69e1fcb&v=1241625152&sq=no" width="48" /></div><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0pt;"><b>Page</b> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/w/page/My-questions-to-Dr-Robert-M-Price-in-mp3-format?_ci=14901.pBOdE6-3" name="page-My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></h2><div style="color: #777777; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0.5em 0pt 0pt;">edited by John F. Felix (diagroup)</div><div class="item" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); color: #777777; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 1em 0pt; padding: 1em;">Question # 5 & # 6: How reliable are Dr. Price's Pre-Nicene New Testament translations? and Evidence in the Septuagint Greek for reverse engineering by the MT.<br />
Question # 7: Jesus curses the fig tree. I have yet to rediscover the web page that mentions other tree-cursing stories from antiquity. Any help?<br />
<i style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(221, 255, 221); color: #00aa00; font-style: normal;">Note: I have had some email correspondence with the author of: 'Mythology, Menstruation and the "Woman with the Issue of Blood,"' Andre Zsigmond, on the site http://www.goddess-pages.co.uk, concerning alternate interpretations of the tree-cursing motif. He sent along some interesting links:<br />
http://www.asphodel-long.com/html/asherah.html<br />
http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM05/spotlight.htm</i><br />
Copyright (c) 2010 by John F. Felix. All rights reserved.<br />
</div><div class="footer" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.75em; margin: 0pt;">Edited at 11:08 AM on October 19, 2010</div></div><div class="footer"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;"> Manage your notification settings or just unsubscribe. </span> </div><div id="pblogo" style="float: right;"><img height="30" src="http://pbworks.com/em/pbworkslogo.png/14901.pBOdE6-1" width="100" /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-8382110299609448852010-10-06T10:52:00.004-05:002010-11-03T09:05:02.299-05:00Help support Double Feature Press.<h3>From the Double Feature Press kickstart page:</h3><br />
<i>Welcome to the Kickstarter page for </i><a href="http://doublefeaturepress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Double Feature Press</i></a><i>. We are a small press formed by Sarah L. Covert in October of 2010. Sarah grew up on drive-in movies. That is where her love for Science Fiction, Strange Tales, and Horror was born. Double Feature Press has an interesting concept, based around the old double feature drive-in flicks. Each book has two authors. Each author contributes either short stories, poems, or novellas to make up their half of the book. The books will all be in the genres Sarah loved as a child and loves even more now. They will be limited edition runs.Our first book is due out in 2011.</i><br />
<br />
Project By <br />
<br />
Sarah L. Covert<br />
Charlotte, NC <br />
<br />
Sarah L. Covert is a fiction writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina with her adorable cat Misha and her wonderful husband, Henry. She grew up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, where her love for reading and writing science-fiction, strange tales and horror began. She was only 10 years old when she wrote her first scary story. She lived in Portland, Oregon for a decade, where her love for the strange and unusual was fostered. <br />
<br />
“Someone once asked what it was that first drew me to horror, science-fiction and strange tales. That's easy - Drive-In Theater Double Features. As a child my family and I would regularly go to the drive-in (back when they were far more prevalent). Usually they would play a "kid friendly" movie as the opener and a more adult movie later in the evening when the kids should have been sleeping. I never slept.” – Sarah L. Covert<br />
<br />
<a href="http://sheneverslept.com/">sheneverslept.com</a> <br />
<a href="http://doublefeaturepress.com/">doublefeaturepress.com</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-20247361697999452432010-10-01T16:43:00.002-05:002010-11-03T09:03:54.056-05:00Dispraxis was edited<div id="container" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #333333; font-family: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em;"><h1 style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px;">Recent changes on <b><a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/?_ci=14883.oTt1GF-2" id="viewall" style="color: #003366;">Dispraxis</a></b></h1><div id="summary" style="color: #444444; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div><div class="page" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(238, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 1em;"><div style="float: right;"><img height="48" src="http://img.pbworks.com/uimg.php?u=95dd0646e1ea8e6fa0d03e199a8c790cc69e1fcb&v=1241625152&sq=no" width="48" /></div><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Page</b> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/FrontPage?_ci=14883.oTt1GF-3" name="page-FrontPage" style="color: #003366;">FrontPage</a></h2><div style="color: #777777; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;">edited by John F. Felix (diagroup)</div><div class="item" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); color: #777777; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 1em;">Welcome to DIAGroup - Digital Interlinear Analysts Group wiki!<br />
Just added:<br />
<br />
<i style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(221, 255, 221); color: #00aa00; font-style: normal;">Mythicism→Mythicism</i> in 12 Easy<i style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(221, 255, 221); color: #00aa00; font-style: normal;"> Pieces→Earl Doherty 10 Years After</i></div><div class="footer" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.75em; margin: 0px;">Edited at 4:35 PM on October 1, 2010</div></div><div class="footer"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0px 0px;">Manage your notification settings or just unsubscribe. </span></div><div id="pblogo" style="float: right;"><img height="30" src="http://pbworks.com/em/pbworkslogo.png/14883.oTt1GF-1" width="100" /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-29477838525612349922010-09-14T23:23:00.000-05:002010-09-14T23:23:16.691-05:00Forge a New Symbol for ToleranceThe one of most essential aspects of me as a person is that I don’t live religiously, in that considering Ground Zero as a “sacred site” is not within my ken. I do see it as a powerful symbol -- a statement about secular-based American democracy against sectarian fanaticism. Because I am a non-theist, I oppose in principle any religious shrine, icon or building there because, in my opinion, it was religion that was at the heart of the problem and ultimately the cause of the attacks in the first place.<br />
<br />
However, my concern for preserving the site from intrusion by religious centers, whether Muslim or not, became modified by the fact that there was a “sacred space” within the south tower for Muslim workers to perform their daily obligations. Thus the symbol changed in its significance for me, becoming representative of America -- just one country among many-- rather than as an idealized sysmbol of a principled system of freedom of, and from, religion, now under attack for its capacity for tolerance by enemies who themselves suffer no tolerance.<br />
<br />
To me, it is an obvious no-brainer that burning Qurans would lead to anti-American violence. However the Iman Rauf has maintained that if the center is forced to move, Muslims world-wide would still commit violent acts, because it would be perceived as persecution of Islam in the U.S. This dubious reasoning is an attempt to corner us into giving in and allowing the center to remain close to Ground Zero, and is at best a probable exaggeration. The American extremists on the other hand maintain that giving in would make America look weak and encourage anti-American violence. This position is also based on the assumption that inevitable effects will follow from the cause, and is also logically fallacious. It could be just as likely that it will make America appear strong, not fearing that such a clear gesture of tolerance would be exploited, but rather praised and revered, perhaps leading to a lowering of the threat level.<br />
<br />
I hope for a new symbol of everything that I personally love about America to be forged., though in practice it is far from becoming a reality.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-25192370786762274322010-08-22T17:10:00.004-05:002010-09-01T08:26:03.568-05:00Reflections on the origins of JudaismThe Assyrians were the probably the first major power in the Levant that practiced pacification through hegonomy, i.e., the imposition of standards of government, taxation, political affiliation and, most importantly, religion. The indigenous peoples were required to reform their worship along the lines of the Assyrian chief deities, although the locals were allowed to call them by whatever name they wished.<br />
<br />
The Assyrian vassal treaty that forms the core of Deuteronomy was indeed a reform imposed from without. The cherubim iconography of the writings and of Northern Israel temples stems from this period, but Hezekiah and others were not cleansing the religious system of idolatry, but instituting the “correct” form, under the directives from their Assyrian overlords. The Assyrian highest god, Asshur, became the first model of what was later to morph into YHWH.<br />
<br />
Other native city states, such as Judah, were also introduced to the new concept of Henotheism, the belief that although there were many gods, there was only one chief God. The northern kingdom of Israel was eventually overrun by the Assyrians, who imported in non-native peoples who quickly mixed with the Canaanites, the records of the statelet being transfered to the notoriously literature-hungry Assyrians. Later the city-state of Judah, centered in a newly prosperous Jerusalem, was also absorbed into the Babylonian empire, heir to the Assyrian records, among other things.<br />
<br />
The Henotheistic exiles were purposefully isolating themselves into a distinct group while in captivity, who found that it was theologically impossible to worship their chief god, a form of Baal-Asshur, called YHWH, in a land that was under control of another god, Marduk. Zoroastrian religion was filtering into the Babylonian empire and the exiles converted to a form of it, a system near enough to be considered Zoroastrian, but having the monotheistic-trending god, YHWH, as the name of the God of Heaven, thus necessitating to account for “Mazda,” as explained below. As Zarathustranism turned to polytheism under the influence of Babylon, the exiles became ultra-monotheistic, rejecting all other gods, which represented everything bad that hitherto had happened to them.<br />
<br />
The book of Daniel is actually a tale of the subversion of Babylon by a disloyal internal force, the ancestors of the people resettled into Judah. Daniel interprets the writing on the wall, declaring that the "Most High God" has decreed an end to the empire of the Chaldeans, and "In that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom...." [<em>KJV</em>, Dn 5:30, 31]. By this time, the now ancient Daniel is decked out as "third ruler in the kingdom," a convenient position from which to influence subsequent events.<br />
<br />
Cyrus, king of Persia, favored the Juddin of Babylon, as they were called, at first, but eventually found it expedient to encourage them to govern hostile territory in Judah, establishing a temple and tax-collection statelet for "all Jewry." Here I interpret Jewry, another variant of Juddin, as a <em>non-ethnic</em>, religious distinction. When they arrived, their religion and holy writings fasioned in the libraries of a Mesopotamian land, encountered native Canaanites heavily influenced by Egyptian culture, as the Levant had been mostly under their control before the Assyrians. The tensions between Persia and Egypt were mythologized into Egypt vs. the Israelites, or vs. God himself.<br />
<br />
These Canaanites that lived in the land of re-settlement were still worshippers of YHWH and El, but were now seen as unclean and outcast pagans, as devotees of demons, and as forgetters and perverters of the “true worship,” a mythical system synthesized during the Babylonian captivity and fasioned after worship of YHWH (Ahuramazda) as the God of Heaven. The reluctance of the Juddin to voluntarily settle in a “land of promise” and the resistance of local worshipers of El, various Baals, including YHWH, led a forced settlement under Darius II, later mythologized as the forced migration of slaves in Egypt to the land of Canaan. Persian loyalties made it literarily inevitable that the main antagonist of the Hebrew writings be burdened upon the Egyptians. Nevertheless, the indigenous population of Judah contributed much to the ever-evolving collection of writings that provided the statelet with its national mythology. The pre-exilic kingdoms of Israel and Judah were myths, likewise based on the surviving records of the various conquerors, a Jewish southern kingdom having been woven out of parallel events recorded of the actual historical northern kingdom.<br />
<br />
As Mazda mutated into Moses at the hands of Alexandrian Juddin, spurred by antagonism between the Egyptians and Persian-loyal Juddin, or Jews, living there, a Hebrew work was created to weld together the exilic and post-exilic story of the Jews, presenting the Egyptians as the main enemy. Just as Persia had detested all things Egyptian, their Juddin descendants, once Persia was neutralized by the Greeks, continued to see the Egyptians as their chief antagonists. As knowledge of Hebrew died out (Aramaic had already displaced it by this time) Greek translations became necessary. Since Hebrew was probably a dead language by this time, to write extended literary works in this language should be interpreted as an effort at deliberate archaizing.These Alexandrian romances were, over an extended period, translated into Greek and redacted, becoming the Septuagint, an ongoing work probably until the time of Herod the Great.<br />
<br />
The myth of the Septuagint, as recorded by some ancient writers, can be seen in many ways as a deliberate inversion of the actual circumstances. The Hebrew texts were not imported into Egypt, but were in actuality created there, and allowed to become moth-eaten and corrupted by copyists. Later the Palestinian Jews imported what remained of the older texts, supplementing the many corruptions by “reverse-engineering” the Septuagint into Hebrew where necessary, making editorial changes, etc., a process that possibly continued at Qumram.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-80488191109057117062010-08-20T15:20:00.002-05:002010-11-03T09:06:40.744-05:00Sacrifice on the Serengeti - A Guest Post by Eric M Johnson | Dr. Carin Bondar<blockquote><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zYrOpDndwlw/TG7jiPvkw2I/AAAAAAAAADc/kRGgHxqQorI/s1600-h/RushA_sm%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="RushA_sm" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zYrOpDndwlw/TG7jibnqo4I/AAAAAAAAADg/frTvHYj05ZA/RushA_sm_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border: 0px none; display: inline;" title="RushA_sm" width="100" /></a> “However, on average, the general trend for <i>Homo sapiens</i> is to follow the same evolutionary forces that exist for any other species. Those traits that allowed more of an individuals genes to be passed on to the next generation were selected for and those that didn’t were ultimately discarded. The evidence has been steadily advancing that menopause is not simply the result of women living longer than their chimpanzee counterparts but that it was an evolutionarily successful strategy that allowed more members of our species to survive and reproduce.” <br />
<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:d39ac462-16e0-4dc1-b4b3-86a404c1b7d0" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Dr.+Carin+Bondar" rel="tag">Dr. Carin Bondar</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/sacrifice" rel="tag">sacrifice</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/serengeti" rel="tag">serengeti</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/genes" rel="tag">genes</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/evolution" rel="tag">evolution</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/menopause" rel="tag">menopause</a></div></blockquote><a href="http://carinbondar.com/2010/08/sacrifice-on-the-serengeti-a-guest-post-by-eric-m-johnson/">Sacrifice on the Serengeti - A Guest Post by Eric M Johnson | Dr. Carin Bondar</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-31963507503272954492010-08-20T15:17:00.001-05:002010-11-03T09:07:41.116-05:00Refuting Quackery with Science-Based Medicine<style type="text/css">
/* common --------------------------------------------------*/ body { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: #333; background: #eee; } #BodyImposter { color: #444; background: #eee; width: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; } #BodyImposter p, #BodyImposter ol, #BodyImposter ul { margin: 0em 0em 1em 0em; } #BodyImposter img { border: 0px; } #BodyImposter small { font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.3em; } #BodyImposter ol { padding-left: 3em; } #Primary img { margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px; } #Primary ul { padding-left: 3em; } #BodyImposter ol li { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; } #Primary blockquote { color: #555; padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 1em; } #Primary li, #Primary p, #Primary td { font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif !important; } #Primary { text-align: left; } /* links --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter a { text-decoration: underline; } #Primary a:link, #Primary a:visited { color: #3160BE; background: #fff; text-decoration: underline; } #Footer a:link, #Footer a:visited { color: #444; background: transparent; text-decoration: underline; } #BodyImposter a:hover { text-decoration: underline; color: #000; } #BodyImposter a:active { color: #000; background: #fff; text-decoration: none; } /* heads --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter h1 { color: #333333; background: #fff; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 20px; } #BodyImposter h2 { color: #333333; background: #fff; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 1.0em 0em 0.5em 0em; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 20px; } #Primary h1,h2 { font-size: 22px; color: #333333; padding-bottom: .2em; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; text-align: center; } #Primary h3 { font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin: 1.5em 0em 1em 0em; color: #333333; } #Primary h4 { font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0; color: #000000; } #Primary h5 { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: #333; font-weight: bold; margin: 1em 0; } /* boxes --------------------------------------------------*/ #Box { color: #444; background: #fff; margin: 0px auto; } #Content { border: 1px solid #d3d3d3; } #Footer { margin: 0px auto; } #Footer p { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; } #Masthead { width: 100%; text-align: center; }
</style><br />
<div id="BodyImposter" style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444;"><table border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0" id="Box" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; margin-top: 15px; width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="Masthead" style="width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=Ps9K7jAQFOLe93p803PeBA.."><img alt="" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11594.gif" /></a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" id="Content" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td id="Primary" style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%;"><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The Center For Inquiry/Chicago is pleased to co-sponsor, with <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=D_KdaTolySPxaTE19c76QQ..">Chicago Skeptics</a> and the <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=nmVyyMT-fEUB0xcyAwv6-A..">Women Thinking Free Foundation</a>:</div><h3 style="text-align: center;">Refuting Quackery with Science-Based Medicine</h3><h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>with David Gorski, MD</b></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 12:30 pm<br />
Black Rock Pub/Kitchen, 3614 N. Damen Ave., Chicago</b></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Free to attend.</b></h4><br />
David H. Gorski, MD, PhD, FACS is a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, specializing in breast cancer surgery. He will be discussing science and evidence-based medicine (SEBM).<br />
<br />
Dr. Gorski first became interested in pseudoscience and "alternative" medicine around 2000, when quite by accident he wandered into the Usenet newsgroup "misc.health.alternative" and began critically examining the claims there. Since then, he has accumulated considerable experience refuting quackery and pseudoscience online. For the last five years, he has blogged under a pseudonym, producing what is consistently ranked as one of the top ten medical blogs. (Finding Dr. Gorski’s other, far more (in)famous blog persona is left as an exercise for the interested reader.)<br />
<br />
Black Rock Pub & Kitchen has a good menu and was voted as CitySearch's "best neighborhood bar" of 2008.<br />
<br />
We are co-sponsoring this event, so you are sure to meet at least a few new skeptical and secular friends from the other groups. <b>Remember, this is a SATURDAY AFTERNOON meeting!</b><br />
No cover charge. Of course, you purchase your own food and beverage.<br />
<br />
If you are thinking of coming to this event, please RSVP to the CFI office with your name so we can estimate the number of people who will be attending. CFI office: 312-226-xxxx or email us at chicago@.<br />
<h2><img align="right" alt="I Support CFI Button [Small]" border="0" height="100" hspace="5" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/content/pagebuilder/12965" width="100" />Support CFI/Chicago</h2>The CFI/Chicago is uniquely positioned to help you live a secular, inquiring, joyful life in Chicago. <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=piUtrOXccnzo2OrxaeszJA..">Join us, won't you?</a> It's only $60 per year, and joining helps demonstrate your commitment to our shared values!<br />
<img height="1" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/PixelServer?j=AII0NSpSP1EAm02qJ8iiWA.." width="1" /> </td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0" id="Footer" style="width: 610px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">©2010 <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=0gGWhj9pvfLyaEb0nDcx0Q..">Center for Inquiry | Chicago</a> · P.O. Box 7951 · Chicago, IL 60680-7951 </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0.5em;">(312) 226-xxxx · chicago@</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0.5em;">Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<div id="cv-poweredBy"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=HKHDVapLCoT0orfiGK4tOw.." title="online fundraising, advocacy & donor database"><img alt="powered by CONVIO" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/powered_by_convio.gif" /> </a><br />
<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=JbbMOf3bEXu7j8QKLp1itw.." title="Nonprofit Fundraising Software">nonprofit software </a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-48235192624881043262010-07-27T09:32:00.000-05:002010-07-27T09:32:41.555-05:00Dispraxis was edited<div id="container" style="background: #fff; color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em;"><div id="logo" style="float: right;"><img height="40" src="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/f/1223945001/diagroup_logo.png?_ci=14817.clmIud-6" /></div><h1 style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px;">Recent changes on <strong><a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/?_ci=14817.1uWt5h-2" id="viewall" style="color: #003366;">Dispraxis</a></strong></h1><div id="summary" style="color: #444444; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><ul style="margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 0px;"><li><strong>Page</strong> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=4823519262488104326#page-Young%27s%20Analytical%20Lexicon" style="color: #003366;">Young's Analytical Lexicon</a></li>
</ul></div><div class="page" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; background: #eef8ff; border-bottom: #ccddee 1px solid; border-left: #ccddee 1px solid; border-radius: 3px; border-right: #ccddee 1px solid; border-top: #ccddee 1px solid; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; padding-top: 1em;"><div style="float: right;"><img height="48" src="http://img.pbworks.com/uimg.php?u=95dd0646e1ea8e6fa0d03e199a8c790cc69e1fcb&v=1278430277&sq=no" width="48" /></div><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><strong>Page</strong> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/Young%27s-Analytical-Lexicon?_ci=14817.1uWt5h-3" name="page-Young%27s%20Analytical%20Lexicon" style="color: #003366;">Young's Analytical Lexicon</a></h2><div style="color: #777777; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;">added by John F. Felix (diagroup)</div><div class="item" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; background: #fff; border-bottom: #ccddee 1px solid; border-left: #ccddee 1px solid; border-radius-topleft: 3px; border-right: #ccddee 1px solid; border-top: #ccddee 1px solid; color: #777777; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; padding-top: 1em;">The work has already begun.</div><div class="footer" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.75em; margin: 0px;">Added at 9:04 AM on July 27, 2010</div></div><div class="footer"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0px 0px;">Manage your notification settings or just unsubscribe. </span></div><div id="pblogo" style="float: right;"><img height="30" src="http://pbworks.com/em/pbworkslogo.png/14817.1uWt5h-1" width="100" /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-42194865084055575622010-06-30T20:54:00.000-05:002010-06-30T20:54:34.119-05:00The Agnostic's ManifestoKeyword News: [atheism] <br />
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 11:54 PM PDT <br />
<br />
<a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylc=X3oDMTEwb2kyNjBxBF9TAzIwMjM4Mjc1MjQEZW1haWxJZAMxMjc3ODgwODUx/SIG=12a41cgio/**http%3A//www.artsjournal.com/artsjournal1/2010/06/the_agnostics_m.shtml">The Agnostic's Manifesto</a><br />
<br />
Arts Journal Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:58 PM PDT<br />
<br />
Ron Rosenbaum: "Let's get one thing straight: Agnosticism is not some kind of weak-tea atheism. Agnosticism is not atheism or theism. It is radical skepticism, doubt in the possibility of certainty, opposition to the unwarranted certainties that atheism and theism offer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-30858388421917748092010-06-25T07:49:00.000-05:002010-06-25T07:49:02.644-05:00AANEWS for Wednesday, June 23, 2010A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S<br />
A A N E W S<br />
#1329 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 06/23/2010<br />
<a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.americanatheist.org/">http://www.americanatheist.org/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.atheistviewpoint.tv/">http://www.atheistviewpoint.tv/</a><br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS, a nationwide movement that defends<br />
civil rights for non-believers; works for the total separation of<br />
Church and State; and addresses issues of First Amendment public<br />
policy.<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
"ATHEIST is really a thoroughly honest, unambiguous term, it admits<br />
of no paltering and no evasion, and the need of the world, now as<br />
ever, is for clear-cut issues and unambiguous speech."<br />
-- Chapman Cohen<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
"All religions are equally sublime to the ignorant, useful to the<br />
politician, and ridiculous to the philosopher."<br />
- Lucretius, On the Nature of Things<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
In This Issue...<br />
* Breaking, AP: Philly Jury OKs BSA discrimination on municipal property<br />
* Background: Philadelphia trial examines discrimination in Scouting ranks<br />
* Worth Noting: Bachman's "Christian Counseling" took public money<br />
* AA Letter to the Editor competition now open<br />
* Voice of Reason Pod cast -- this week, "Touchdown Jesus"<br />
* Check out Dave's NoGodBlog<br />
* Follow AANEWS on Twitter<br />
* Resources<br />
* About this list...<br />
<br />
Breaking<br />
JURY: CITY CANNOT EVICT BOY SCOUTS OVER DISCRIMINATION<br />
PHILADELPHIA - A jury says the city of Philadelphia cannot evict<br />
a local Boy Scouts chapter from a city-owned building for refusing<br />
to admit gays.<br />
The city insisted that nonprofits given free use of its property<br />
must abide by local anti-discrimination laws.<br />
The scouts said they can legally limit their membership because of<br />
a 2000 Supreme Court decision. They had sued in federal court to<br />
stop the eviction.<br />
Cradle of Liberty Council leaders have tried to walk a fine line<br />
to retain city support without losing their national Boy Scouts<br />
charter. The national organization bans gays.<br />
Scouts lawyer Jason Gosselin says he hopes the two sides can work<br />
out their differences in negotiations.<br />
*<br />
June 18, 2010 -- CNN coverage<br />
Trial could settle dispute between Boy Scouts, Philadelphia<br />
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A federal trial is underway that<br />
could settle a dispute between Philadelphia Boy Scouts and the city.<br />
The national Scout policy that prohibits the hiring of homosexuals<br />
puts the Philadelphia Scout chapter, the Cradle of Liberty Council,<br />
in violation of the city charter and an ordinance outlawing<br />
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and other grounds.<br />
The Scouts were told by the city to pay $200,000 a year to lease<br />
the building or vacate their headquarters that have been located<br />
on city land, rent-free since 1928.<br />
In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts could<br />
exclude gay youth and troop leaders because the group is categorized<br />
as a "membership organization." The city contends Cradle of Liberty<br />
Council's refusal to openly reject the national scout policy violates<br />
the City Charter.<br />
The lawsuit filed by the Cradle of Liberty Council contends the<br />
city's ultimatum violates their First Amendment rights and that the<br />
city's position is unconstitutional and violates the organization's<br />
right to free speech and equal protection. The trial began Monday<br />
with jury selection.<br />
The Scouts also argue that city leases property to other<br />
organizations that have membership rules, including a Catholic<br />
church and the Colonial Dames of America, and those tenants do not<br />
face eviction, said attorneys for the Scouts. The city said the<br />
comparison is inaccurate.<br />
In 2007, City Council passed an ordinance to evict the Scouts and<br />
later went to court in June 2008 to do so, but Cradle filed the<br />
federal civil-rights lawsuit in May 2008.<br />
In 2009, U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter issued an injunction<br />
stopping the city from evicting the Scouts until the federal lawsuit<br />
is resolved.<br />
**<br />
WORTH NOTING...<br />
Hitchens As Atheism's Drag Queen In reading the recent comments on<br />
this subject I've noticed that we, as atheists, are often using the<br />
language of the gay rights movement to describe what it's like to be<br />
an atheist in a largely theistic society--particularly the desire<br />
to 'come out' as atheists. While sexual orientation and religious<br />
belief are by no means equivalent, and I think it remains harder<br />
to come out as a homosexual than as an atheist, the metaphor is<br />
interesting and helps us understand the appeal of the 'New Atheists.'<br />
<<a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/06/a-louder-athiesm.html">http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/06/a-louder-athiesm.html</a>><br />
The Right's Favorite Atheist S.E. Cupp is the right wing's<br />
current media darling who doesn't believe in God but just<br />
penned a book attacking the liberal media and defending<br />
Christianity. Benyamin Cohen unravels the Cupp enigma.<br />
<<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-13/se-cupp-attacks-newsweek-defends-christianity-and-atheism/?cid=hp:topnav:book">http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-13/se-cupp-attacks-newsweek-defends-christianity-and-atheism/?cid=hp:topnav:book</a>><br />
Bachmann's Christian Counseling Business Gets Public Funds Andy<br />
Birkey at the Minnesota Independent reports that a Christian<br />
counseling center owned by Michele Bachmann and her husband has<br />
received more than $30,000 in public funds since 2007. It even<br />
comes from one of those "socialized medicine" systems the state of<br />
Minnesota runs for poor people.<br />
<<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/06/bachmanns_christian_counseling.php">http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/06/bachmanns_christian_counseling.php</a>><br />
Touchdown Jesus On Fire, Ohio Statue Destroyed By Lightning (VIDEO)<br />
A six-story-tall statue of Jesus Christ with his arms raised along<br />
a highway was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm Monday night<br />
and burned to the ground, police said. The "King of Kings" statue,<br />
one of southwest Ohio's most familiar landmarks, had stood since<br />
2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in<br />
Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.<br />
<<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/king-of-kings-ohio-jesus_n_612360.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/king-of-kings-ohio-jesus_n_612360.html</a>><br />
OPINION: Not knocking on heaven's door: Black atheists, urban<br />
America Late Saturday afternoon, like clockwork, the street corner<br />
preachers on Crenshaw and King Boulevard in South Los Angeles<br />
take to the "stage." Decked out in flowing robes and dreadlocks,<br />
they fulminate into their mikes about the universe, God's will<br />
and "unnatural" homosexuals to a motley audience waiting for the<br />
next express bus. Members of the Black Israelites, they are part<br />
of a long tradition of performative religiosity in urban African<br />
American communities.<br />
<<a href="http://www.intersectionssouthla.org/index.php/story/not_knocking_on_heavens_door_black_atheists_urban_america/">http://www.intersectionssouthla.org/index.php/story/not_knocking_on_heavens_door_black_atheists_urban_america/</a>><br />
Stephen Colbert Author Interview: Stephen Prothero On The 8 Religions That<br />
Rule The World And Why Their Differences Matter (VIDEO) Stephen<br />
Prothero, Boston University professor and author of the new book<br />
"God Is Not One," spoke to Stephen Colbert last night about his<br />
book and why the eight religions that run the world have a lot of<br />
important differences that we shouldn't overlook as much as we do. "I<br />
wrote the book because religions are horribly misunderstood," he<br />
said. "We have these atheists that are saying that all the religions<br />
are the same and bad, and we have these multiculturalists that are<br />
saying that all the religions are the same and good." Prothero sets<br />
out to illuminate the differences in his book, because, he said,<br />
"religions are not different paths going up the same mountain"<br />
--they have different goals and different concerns.<br />
<<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/stephen-colbert-author-in_n_612739.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/stephen-colbert-author-in_n_612739.html</a>><br />
Haley's path to Christianity leaves some evangelicals uneasy Whispers<br />
about Nikki Haley's Sikh heritage burst into public view in the final<br />
days of South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial primary when state<br />
Sen. Jake Knotts called the Indian-American legislator a "raghead."<br />
<<a href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/15/haleys-path-to-christianity-leaves-some-evangelicals-uneasy/">http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/15/haleys-path-to-christianity-leaves-some-evangelicals-uneasy/</a>><br />
Russian Creationism Sounds Frighteningly Familiar Religious<br />
fundamentalists have begun promoting creationism in Russia --<br />
and they are doing so using many of the same strategies and<br />
buzzwords adopted by fellow extremists in the United States<br />
.<<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-zimmerman/russian-creationism-sound_b_610266.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-zimmerman/russian-creationism-sound_b_610266.html</a>><br />
Godless billionaires ask super-rich to 'give it up' Who<br />
says atheists, agnostics and freethinkers don't give a lot to<br />
charity? Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, two of America's wealthiest<br />
men and greatest philanthropists, issued a call Wednesday for the<br />
nation's billionaires to make a moral commitment to donate at least<br />
50% of their money to charity or other philanthropic causes. They've<br />
even launched a website, The Giving Pledge, where the super-rich can<br />
"take the pledge":<br />
<<a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-8947-LA-Atheism-Examiner~y2010m6d17-Godless-billionaires-ask-superrich-to-give-it-up">http://www.examiner.com/x-8947-LA-Atheism-Examiner~y2010m6d17-Godless-billionaires-ask-superrich-to-give-it-up</a>><br />
God and the Political Romantic Like most English-speaking scribes,<br />
I've spent the last few weeks dipping in and out of Christopher<br />
Hitchens' memoir, "Hitch-22." Of all the reviews to date, David<br />
Runciman's essay in the London Review of Books seems to me to cut<br />
closest to the heart of Hitch<br />
<a href="http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/">http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/</a><br />
Murfreesboro mosque opponents pack commission meeting MURFREESBORO<br />
- Hundreds of residents packed Thursday's Rutherford County<br />
Commission meeting where dozens voiced opposition to a<br />
planned Islamic center off Bradyville Pike in southeast<br />
Murfreesboro.<<a href="http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100618/NEWS01/6180332/Murfreesboro">http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100618/NEWS01/6180332/Murfreesboro</a>>+mosque+opponents+pack+commission+meeting<br />
Ethics Office Clears C Street House In Rent Probe The Office of<br />
Congressional Ethics has sent letters to several residents of the<br />
C Street Christian fellowship house informing them that there is no<br />
"probable cause" to believe legislators are getting improper gifts<br />
in the form of below-market rent, Roll Call reports. The house has<br />
been the target of more than one allegation that the reported rent<br />
of $950 for a furnished room amounts to an unreported gift or income.<br />
Ohio's Jesus statue is latest religious statue to be struck<br />
by lightning It appears God has sacrificed his only son. Again.<br />
A bolt struck a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ on Monday<br />
outside a church in Monroe, Ohio, and the statue erupted in<br />
flames. All that remains is a charred steel skeleton, its spindly<br />
arms stretched toward heaven, a gesture that once earned it the<br />
nickname "Touchdown Jesus."<br />
<<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/15/AR2010061505135.html?hpid=topnews">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/15/AR2010061505135.html?hpid=topnews</a>><br />
Richard Dawkins among academics calling for compulsory evolution<br />
teaching at primary school Evolution should be taught to all primary<br />
school pupils, according to leading scientists and academics.<br />
<<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7838020/Richard-Dawkins-among-academics-calling-for-compulsory-evolution-teaching-at-primary-school.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7838020/Richard-Dawkins-among-academics-calling-for-compulsory-evolution-teaching-at-primary-school.html</a>><br />
**<br />
American Atheists Letter to the Editor Competition 2011<br />
The Letter to the Editor Competition 2011 is open only to members<br />
of American Atheists. To enter, send the uncut and complete<br />
newspaper page containing your published letter. Letters must<br />
be published between January 1 and December 31, 2010. Entries<br />
need to be received on or before January 30, 2011. Include your<br />
address, telephone number, and your e-mail address (should you<br />
have one). Letters can cover any issue of importance which advances<br />
the Atheist cause. Letters will be judged by educational content,<br />
persuasiveness, and how well they portray Atheism in a positive<br />
light. Members of the board, officers, and State and Regional<br />
Directors are ineligible to enter.<br />
The winner will be announced at the national Convention 2011, and<br />
will receive an American Atheist award plaque and on free year<br />
of membership in American Atheists. All entered letters will be<br />
displayed at Convention 2011.<br />
Send your entries to: Neal Cary (email) P. O. Box 828 Glen Allen, VA<br />
23060-0828<br />
VOICE OF REASON" PODCAST LAUNCHED<br />
"The Voice of Reason" is a new Podcast service sponsored by<br />
American Atheists featuring news and commentary of interest to the<br />
non-believer community. Visit <a href="http://www.atheists.org/reason">http://www.atheists.org/reason</a> to<br />
download episodes. You can also follow "The Voice of Reason" on<br />
Twitter and receive updates when new broadcasts are available. Sign<br />
up at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/aavoiceofreason">http://www.twitter.com/aavoiceofreason</a> .<br />
**<br />
CHECK OUT THE NOGODBLOG!<br />
It is one of the fastest growing blogs in the<br />
Atheist/Freethought/Secular Humanist community, and you can get in<br />
on the discussion!<br />
Dave Silverman, Communications Director for American Atheists is in<br />
the Blogosphere at <a href="http://nogodblog.com/">http://nogodblog.com/</a>. It's filled with insight,<br />
wit, hot news, controversial opinion -- and polite, thoughtful<br />
commentary. So join the conversation! Sign up (it's free) by<br />
visiting <a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org/</a> and click on the blog navigation<br />
button, or go directly to <a href="http://nogodblog.com/">http://nogodblog.com/</a> .<br />
**<br />
FOLLOW AANEWS ON TWITTER!<br />
You can now get regular updates on AANEWS by signing up for Twitter<br />
alerts. Just visit <a href="http://twitter.com/AANEWSAA">http://twitter.com/AANEWSAA</a> and sign up. You'<br />
will receive an alert every time a new issue of AANEWS is published!<br />
**<br />
RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS<br />
* For membership information about American Atheists, send<br />
mail to. Kindly include your name and postal<br />
mailing address. Ask for a free membership info packet. You may<br />
also visit <a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org/</a> and click on the "Membership"<br />
navigation button.<br />
* For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and<br />
other products, send mail to. Kindly include<br />
your name and postal mailing address, and request a copy of the<br />
AAP catalogue. You may also shop directly at <a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org/</a><br />
--click on the "Shopping" navigation button.<br />
* Current members in good standing of American Atheists may sign up<br />
for our free E-mail Discussion Group list, aachat. We have over 150<br />
participants who discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First<br />
Amendment issues, creationism and much, much more. Contact the<br />
Moderator, Ed Gauci through.<br />
**<br />
ABOUT THIS LIST...<br />
AANEWS is a free service from American Atheists, a nationwide<br />
movement founded by Madalyn Murray O'Hair that defends the civil<br />
rights of nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church<br />
and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.<br />
You may forward, post or quote from this dispatch provided<br />
that appropriate credit is given to both AANEWS and American<br />
Atheists. Please do not post complete editions of this<br />
newsletter indiscriminately to news groups, boards or other<br />
outlets. Edited by Conrad F. Goeringer. The<br />
Internet Representative for American Atheists is Larry Mundinger. The President of American Atheists is<br />
Ed Buckner.<br />
**<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
To subscribe, send a blank message to aanews-on@atheists.org<br />
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to aanews-off@atheists.org<br />
To change your email address, send a message to aanews-change@atheists.org<br />
with your old address in the Subject: line<br />
American Atheists, PO Box 158, Cranford, NJ 07016Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-69026524214958412132010-06-21T14:14:00.000-05:002010-06-21T14:14:34.349-05:00Dispraxis was edited<div id="container" style="background: #fff; color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em;"><div id="logo" style="float: right;"><img height="40" src="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/f/1223945001/diagroup_logo.png?_ci=14781.UUo7wX-6" /></div><h1 style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px;">Recent changes on <strong><a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/?_ci=14781.2EKszk-2" id="viewall" style="color: #003366;">Dispraxis</a></strong></h1><div id="summary" style="color: #444444; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><ul style="margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 0px;"><li><strong>Page</strong> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=6902652421495841213#page-My%20questions%20to%20Dr%20Robert%20M%20Price%20in%20mp3%20format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></li>
</ul></div><div class="page" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; background: #eef8ff; border-bottom: #ccddee 1px solid; border-left: #ccddee 1px solid; border-radius: 3px; border-right: #ccddee 1px solid; border-top: #ccddee 1px solid; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; padding-top: 1em;"><div style="float: right;"><img height="48" src="http://img.pbworks.com/uimg.php?u=95dd0646e1ea8e6fa0d03e199a8c790cc69e1fcb&v=1241625163&sq=no" width="48" /></div><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><strong>Page</strong> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/My-questions-to-Dr-Robert-M-Price-in-mp3-format?_ci=14781.2EKszk-3" name="page-My%20questions%20to%20Dr%20Robert%20M%20Price%20in%20mp3%20format" style="color: #003366;">My questions to Dr Robert M Price in mp3 format</a></h2><div style="color: #777777; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;">edited by John F. Felix </div><div class="item" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; background: #fff; border-bottom: #ccddee 1px solid; border-left: #ccddee 1px solid; border-radius-topleft: 3px; border-right: #ccddee 1px solid; border-top: #ccddee 1px solid; color: #777777; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; padding-top: 1em;">My questions to Dr. Robert M. Price (mp3 format)<br />
Here are links tosome .mp3 files, each containing one or more questions submitted by me to Dr. Robert M. Price, the "Biblegeek," who currently accepts Bible-related questions at: criticus@aol.com.<br />
<i style="background: #dfd; color: #00aa00; font-style: normal;">The official Website of Dr. Price has a page dedicated to the Biblegeek show:http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/biblegeek.htm. Also, check out his latest endeavor on the Center For Inquiry's podcastPoint of Inquiry,and his CFI blog: http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blogs/robertmprice.</i><br />
The Biblegeek audio show ishosted by uStream.tv at:http://ustream.tv/channel/thebiblegeek.<br />
Question # 1: A "Q" community?<br />
Question # 5 & # 6: How reliable are Dr. Price's Pre-Nicene New Testament translations? and Evidence in the Septuagint Greek for reverse engineering by the MT.<br />
Copyright (c) 2010 by John F. Felix. All rights reserved.<br />
<i style="background: #dfd; color: #00aa00; font-style: normal;"></i> </div><div class="footer" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.75em; margin: 0px;">Edited at 2:10 PM on June 21, 2010</div></div><div class="footer"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0px 0px;">Manage your notification settings or just unsubscribe. </span></div><div id="pblogo" style="float: right;"><img height="30" src="http://pbworks.com/em/pbworkslogo.png/14781.2EKszk-1" width="100" /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-35174382624544597772010-06-18T11:04:00.001-05:002010-11-03T09:10:34.800-05:00Keyword News: [atheism]Modern libertarianism is usurpation of an earlier movement, with a firm foundation in freethought, atheism and progressivist feminism.<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 575px;"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><span style="color: black;"><b>Yahoo! Alerts</b></span></td><td align="right"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/alerts/email/html/kn/yahoonews;_ylc=X3oDMTEwdXUzdG9iBF9TAzIwMjM4Mjc1MjQEZW1haWxJZAMxMjc2Nzg2NDYz/*http://news.yahoo.com">Yahoo! News</a> - My Alerts - Edit Alert </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="width: 575px;"><tbody>
<tr><td bgcolor="#effada"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Thursday, June 17, 2010 7:54 AM PDT</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 575px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td width="75%"><table><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylc=X3oDMTEwdXUzdG9iBF9TAzIwMjM4Mjc1MjQEZW1haWxJZAMxMjc2Nzg2NDYz/SIG=110r4lmq7/**http%3A//mises.org/daily/4487" name="part">Voltairine de Cleyre: Penitent Priestess of Anarchism</a><br />
<b>Ludwig von Mises Institute</b> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: verdana,sans-serif;">Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:21 AM PDT</span><br />
In the late 1880s, Voltairine de Cleyre, a mere girl of 19 or 20, was traipsing around Western Michigan lecturing on Thomas Paine and <b>atheism</b>. She soon became one of anarchism's most prominent advocates. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</td><td nowrap="nowrap" width="10"><spacer height="1" type="block" width="10"></spacer></td><td width="25%"><br />
<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 575px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/alerts/email/kn/search;_ylc=X3oDMTEwdXUzdG9iBF9TAzIwMjM4Mjc1MjQEZW1haWxJZAMxMjc2Nzg2NDYz/*http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?fr=yalerts-keyword&c=&p=atheism&ei=utf-8">See more news stories that match my keyword</a> </td></tr>
<tr><td align="center"><br />
<hr /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 545px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: arial;">You received this email because you subscribed to Yahoo! Alerts. Use this link to unsubscribe from this alert. To change your communications preferences for other Yahoo! business lines, please visit your Marketing Preferences. To learn more about Yahoo!'s use of personal information, including the use of web beacons in HTML-based email, please read our Privacy Policy. Yahoo! is located at 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-87676627190593353582010-06-16T18:07:00.001-05:002010-11-03T09:11:30.556-05:00Dispraxis was edited<div id="container" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #333333; font-family: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em;"><div id="logo" style="float: right;"><img height="40" src="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/f/1223945001/diagroup_logo.png?_ci=14776.Qt0Hfp-6" /></div><h1 style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0pt;">Recent changes on <b><a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/?_ci=14776.fMwKHP-2" id="viewall" style="color: #003366;">Dispraxis</a></b></h1><div id="summary" style="color: #444444; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><ul style="margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 0pt;"><li><b>Page</b> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=8767662719059335358#page-Damascus%20Document%20Sneak%20Peek" style="color: #003366;">Damascus Document Sneak Peek</a></li>
</ul></div><div class="page" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(238, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 1em;"><div style="float: right;"><img height="48" src="http://img.pbworks.com/uimg.php?u=95dd0646e1ea8e6fa0d03e199a8c790cc69e1fcb&v=1241625163&sq=no" width="48" /></div><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0pt;"><b>Page</b> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/Damascus-Document-Sneak-Peek?_ci=14776.fMwKHP-3" name="page-Damascus Document Sneak Peek" style="color: #003366;">Damascus Document Sneak Peek</a></h2><div style="color: #777777; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0.5em 0pt 0pt;">edited by John F. Felix (<a href="mailto:diagroup">diagroup@</a>)</div><div class="item" style="-moz-border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); color: #777777; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 1em 0pt; padding: 1em;"><i>Only formatting differences</i> </div><div class="footer" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.75em; margin: 0pt;">Edited at 4:25 PM on June 16, 2010</div></div><div class="footer"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;"> <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/" style="color: #7799bb;">Manage your notification settings</a> or just <a href="http://diagroup.pbworks.com/" style="color: #7799bb;">unsubscribe</a>. </span> </div><div id="pblogo" style="float: right;"><img height="30" src="http://pbworks.com/em/pbworkslogo.png/14776.fMwKHP-1" width="100" /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-89978477766322421512010-06-16T16:33:00.001-05:002010-11-03T09:12:35.832-05:00Making Humanism Relevant to African Americans<style type="text/css">
/* common --------------------------------------------------*/ body { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: #333; background: #eee; } #BodyImposter { color: #444; background: #eee; width: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; } #BodyImposter p, #BodyImposter ol, #BodyImposter ul { margin: 0em 0em 1em 0em; } #BodyImposter img { border: 0px; } #BodyImposter small { font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.3em; } #BodyImposter ol { padding-left: 3em; } #Primary img { margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px; } #Primary ul { padding-left: 3em; } #BodyImposter ol li { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; } #Primary blockquote { color: #555; padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 1em; } #Primary li, #Primary p, #Primary td { font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif !important; } #Primary { text-align: left; } /* links --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter a { text-decoration: underline; } #Primary a:link, #Primary a:visited { color: #3160BE; background: #fff; text-decoration: underline; } #Footer a:link, #Footer a:visited { color: #444; background: transparent; text-decoration: underline; } #BodyImposter a:hover { text-decoration: underline; color: #000; } #BodyImposter a:active { color: #000; background: #fff; text-decoration: none; } /* heads --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter h1 { color: #333333; background: #fff; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 20px; } #BodyImposter h2 { color: #333333; background: #fff; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 1.0em 0em 0.5em 0em; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 20px; } #Primary h1,h2 { font-size: 22px; color: #333333; padding-bottom: .2em; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; text-align: center; } #Primary h3 { font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin: 1.5em 0em 1em 0em; color: #333333; } #Primary h4 { font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0; color: #000000; } #Primary h5 { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: #333; font-weight: bold; margin: 1em 0; } /* boxes --------------------------------------------------*/ #Box { color: #444; background: #fff; margin: 0px auto; } #Content { border: 1px solid #d3d3d3; } #Footer { margin: 0px auto; } #Footer p { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; } #Masthead { width: 100%; text-align: center; }
</style> <br />
<div id="BodyImposter" style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444;"><table border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0" id="Box" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; margin-top: 15px; width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="Masthead" style="width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=SSOitu-maLXHcCMTL6c4uA.."><img alt="" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11601.gif" /></a> </td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" id="Content" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; width: 580px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"> <td id="Primary" style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 12px;"> <h1 style="text-align: center;">"Making Humanism Relevant to African Americans" </h1><h3 style="text-align: center;">Saturday, July 10, 6:00-11:00 pm</h3><h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Center for Inquiry Indiana<br />
350 Canal Walk, Suite A<br />
Indianapolis, IN 46202</b></h4><h2 style="text-align: center;">Featuring Special Guest Speakers:</h2><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Indiana African American Humanism Speakers" height="113" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/13033.jpg" width="500" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jamila Bey</b>, Journalist and Comedian — "<i>African American Humanists Coming Out</i>"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Gilbert Holmes</b>, Executive Director, <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=SUbdHwAsCXOoY4PQAXvT6Q..">ACLU of Indiana</a> — "<i>Vignettes from My Life—A Journey of Faith, Doubt, and Questioning</i>"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Desmond Wood</b>, CFI Indiana Friend of the Center — "<i>Transformations</i>"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Rod Ross</b> — Remarks by CFI Indiana Friends of the Center</div><div style="text-align: center;">Plus, a performance by well known Indianapolis musicians, <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=712u0kSpTfbPGbcNk9X9iA.."><b>The Steve Weakley Group</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Join us for a Meet & Greet Pre-Event Lunch/Dinner: 3:00 pm</b></h4><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=7mwvgA1eldT1mLUeL9P3Nw..">The Kountry Kitchen Soul Food Place</a><br />
1831 North College Avenue, Indianapolis</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Reservations required by July 1.<br />
Email <a href="mailto:indy@centerforinquiry.net">indy@centerforinquiry.net</a> for reservations.</div><div style="text-align: center;">(Everyone orders from the menu and pays for their own meal)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Everyone is invited to attend!</div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=BJJO5IVsNIQIX1gMqMb4Aw..">Register online</a> or <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=XtSmS_XjJ3t9URj6biTHOQ..">mail in registration</a>.</h3><div style="text-align: center;">$25 suggested donation or whatever you can afford.<br />
Admission at the door will be on space-available basis.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The date of this event coincides with the <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=R5lxutOBszdPEOcwUlqjnQ..">40th Annual Indiana Black Expo</a> in Indianapolis.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Speaker Bios:</h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img align="left" alt="Jamila Bey (small)" height="120" hspace="5" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/13027.jpg" vspace="5" width="80" /><b>Jamila Bey</b> is a journalist and comedian living in Washington, DC. Born to a Southern Baptist convert to Catholicism and a non-practicing Black Muslim, Jamila has formally renounced her "confused" belief in the supernatural and is now an out and proud Atheist. Jamila began her career covering government in her hometown of Pittsburgh and moved to DC where she was an editor for four years at National Public Radio. She's been a writer for hire for the better part of the last decade and is devoted to spreading the gospel of Logic, Reason, and Science to all those who may hear. Check out her article, "<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=TpNZQv7Zl_dCdsmdRlfQaA..">Black Women Who Use the "A" Word</a>."<br />
<div style="clear: left;"></div><img align="left" alt="Gilbert Holmes" height="108" hspace="5" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/13026.jpg" vspace="5" width="80" /><b>Gilbert Holmes</b> is a long time board member and now Executive Director of ACLU of Indiana. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, University of Southern California, and the Indiana University School of Law. He has had a distinguished career in both government and the private sector including Commissioner, Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and President/CEO of Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo). <br />
<div style="clear: left;"></div><img align="left" alt="Desmond Wood" height="106" hspace="5" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/13025.jpg" vspace="5" width="80" /><b>Desmond Wood</b> was baptized as a Lutheran but drifted away from the church as he matured. He converted to Islam in 2000. During this time, he traveled to the Middle East and studied Arabic. In 2005, he began to hang out and study with an esoteric group in Indianapolois. After a year with them, he began to study diverse subjects on his own and discovered Center for Inquiry Indiana. He is a serious student of philosophy and religion as well as studying the art of classical music and jazz on the classical guitar.<br />
<div style="clear: left;"></div><img align="left" alt="Rod Ross" height="112" hspace="5" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/13028.jpg" vspace="5" width="80" /><b>Rod Ross</b> is an accomplished painter and sculptor. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communication from Indiana University/Herron School of Art & Design. He has been a graphic design instructor, art teacher at a private school, faculty member of Clark College and Ivy Tech State College, and co-owner of a graphic design studio. Presently he is a teacher in Indianapolis Public Schools. He has been a member of CFI Indiana for several years. His website is <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=fl2D21GNz4dItlFPOGeonw..">www.rodross.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="clear: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=Bs7Mke5pJlQTlHux1rNK8Q.."><img align="middle" alt="I Support CFI Button [Small]" border="0" height="78" hspace="10" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/12965" width="78" /></a><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=S3s3Qt2WMlH-D3uTDekRUA.."><img align="middle" alt="AAH" border="0" height="63" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/12797.png" width="146" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brought to you by <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=SZ0Byxc9mspKYAoHqk5t6Q..">CFI Indiana</a> and <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=ITi0JF63386I5GCeLjyRPQ..">African Americans for Humanism</a></div><img height="1" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/PixelServer?j=J8kOJiNa86bcQLkUAik1Wg.." width="1" /> </span></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0" id="Footer" style="width: 610px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">©2010 <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=9xpGkFoU4HQ3X468GOeThA..">Center for Inquiry | Indiana</a> · 350 Canal Walk, Suite A · Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0.5em;">(317) 423-0710 · <a href="mailto:indy@">indy@centerforinquiry.net</a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0.5em;"></div></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></div><br />
<div id="cv-poweredBy"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=py36pUiJnKhiHN9rDRU29w.." title="online fundraising, advocacy & donor database"> <img alt="powered by CONVIO" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/powered_by_convio.gif" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=n6AMZHprLhgQwmbXvuu3aw.." title="Nonprofit Fundraising Software">nonprofit software </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-15535104860680622242010-04-19T19:28:00.002-05:002010-11-03T09:16:54.327-05:00Secular Humanism Online News -- April, 2010<style type="text/css">
html,div,blockquote,pre,form,fieldset,table,th,td {margin:0; padding:0;} body {color:#333; font-weight:0; font-family:Georgia, serif; letter-spacing:.4px; word-spacing:1px; line-height:150%; font-size:14px; padding-bottom:30px;} blockquote, #wrapper ul, #wrapper ol, #wrapper dl {margin:1em 2em;} li p {margin-left:0;} h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {line-height:150%; margin-bottom:7px;} blockquote {border:1px solid #aaa; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; background:#ddd; padding:.6em 1em; font-size:.9em; clear:both; -moz-box-shadow: 5px 5px 5px #999; -webkit-box-shadow: 5px 5px 5px #999; box-shadow: 5px 5px 5px #999;} blockquote blockquote {box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow:none; -webkit-box-shadow:none; font-size:1em; border:none; border-left: 2px dotted #7c7aaa; padding:0; margin: 2em 0 1em 2.5em;} blockquote.it {font-style:italic;} em cite, em em, cite cite, cite em, .intro cite, .intro em {font-style:normal;} table {margin:0 auto;} a:link {color: #1178b9 !important;} body a:link {color: #1178b9;}
</style> <br />
<table align="center" border="0" style="width: 600px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td colspan="2"><img alt="CSH Online News Header" height="100" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/12457.jpg" width="600" /></td> </tr>
<tr> <td colspan="2"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Vol.6 No.4, April, 2010</i></b> </div><hr /><h3><a href="" name="top"></a>In This Issue:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#conference">Don't Miss the Council’s 30th Year L.A. Conference!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#AAH">African Americans for Humanism to Explore New Directions at Washington, D.C. conference</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#SOS">Secular Organizations for Sobriety to Hold Festival of Recovery in Celebration of 25 Years</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#SHARE">Skeptics and Humanists Aid and Relief Effort (SHARE) Receives Notable Coverage in The New York Times</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#legal">On the Legal Front</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#OPP">Office of Public Policy Update</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#brookings">Brookings Guide for Governments and Country’s School Boards Neglects Secularists</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#media">In the Media</a></li>
</ul><hr /> <b> </b><br />
<h3><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=KdwVJ0qXt0jVQJRV9wM6Lw.." title="Click to see the full announcement"><img align="left" alt="Humanism Conference Coat-of-Arms Logo" border="0" height="212" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/12613.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-right: 15px;" width="250" /></a><a href="" name="conference"></a>Don't Miss the Council’s 30th Year L.A. Conference!</h3>The Council for Secular Humanism has announced the spectacular lineup for its 30th Anniversary Conference. Long in the planning, “Setting the Agenda: Secular Humanism’s Next 30 Years” will feature some of the most impressive names in science promotion and secularism today, including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Robert Wright, James Randi, P.Z. Myers, Christopher diCarlo, Eugenie Scott, Paul Kurtz, Lawrence Krauss, Chris Mooney, Jennifer Michael Hecht, Victor Stenger, Shadia Drury, Mark Johnson, Barry Kosmin, Ibn Warraq, and many more.<br />
<h3>Discounts Available for Early Birds</h3>Starting about May 1, the public at large will be able to register for the conference at regular rates. The Council will have a Web page with online registration and do a national brochure mailing to all FREE INQUIRY and SKEPTICAL INQUIRER subscribers. But there is an early-bird discount for those in the know: advance-registration discounts are available in the April/May FREE INQUIRY magazine to give subscribers and single-issue purchasers a chance to register first at lower rates. Those discounts, however, will be available only through May 15, and only when people register by mail or phone using the form in that issue (now on newsstands).<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=rAsz8FLDIoV_4sSpG9GbwA.." title="Click to see the full announcement"><img alt="Voices for Humanism" border="0" height="115" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/12785.jpg" vspace="0" width="500" /></a></div>Apart from the roster of distinguished speakers, the conference will also feature the 15th anniversary celebration banquet for Center for Inquiry/Los Angeles, chaired by CFI/LA director James Underdown, which will include a live restaging of one of Steve Allen’s classic <i>Meeting of Minds</i> PBS episodes, starring <i>Entourage</i>’s Gary Cole as Steve Allen, with Charles Shuaghnessy (<i>The Nanny</i>), Wendie Malick (<i>Just Shoot Me</i>), Robert Forster (Oscar nominee for <i>Jackie Brown</i>) and Dan Lauria (the father in <i>The Wonder Years</i>), who will portray intriguing historical figures live on stage. <br />
The conference will be held in the lavishly restored, exuberantly art-deco Millennium Biltmore Hotel—the site of the Academy Awards ceremonies during the 1930s and 1940s and the on-site movie set of numerous Hollywood films, including <i>Vertigo</i>, <i>Cocoon</i>, and <i>Ghostbusters</i>. <br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=e-RE-S5hmIRl63i78vGFjA..">Click here to see the full announcement</a></h3><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top"><i>Back to top</i></a></div><hr /><h3><a href="" name="AAH"></a>African Americans for Humanism to Explore New Directions at Washington, D.C. conference </h3>The first conference to be devoted exclusively to African Americans for Humanism (AAH), a program of the <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=0UPBgVkRlBpZGFtS2Xb-pg..">Council for Secular Humanism</a>, will take place Sunday, May 16, at the Center for Inquiry’s Washington, D.C. office. The theme of the conference is “New Directions for African American Humanism.” It is scheduled to run from noon to 6 p.m.<br />
Speakers will include AAH executive director Norm R. Allen Jr., CFI field organizer Debbie Goddard, freelance journalist Jamila Bey, and columnist Sikivu Hutchinson. Topics will include African American women and humanism, how to attract African Americans to organized humanism, the role of the clergy in the African American community, great African American humanists in history, and other subjects.<br />
Registration is $45 for the general public, $35 for Friends of the Center and AAH members, and $15 for students. For abstracts of scheduled talks and registration information, visit:<br />
<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=nAy1GgIMm0u14Acd4LIJ9Q..">http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/african_americans_for_humanism_conference/</a><br />
This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Inquiry/D.C. and African Americans for Humanism.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top">Back to top</a></i></div><hr /><h3><a href="" name="SOS"></a>Secular Organizations for Sobriety to Hold Festival of Recovery in Celebration of 25 Years </h3><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=crFy2erqkiTdgHb4X6nf-w..">Secular Organizations for Sobriety</a>, also known as Save Our Selves (SOS) is set to mark 25 years of service this year when it hosts its third-annual Festival of Recovery on April 24, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Center for Inquiry/Los Angeles' Steve Allen Theater. <br />
They do this in the shadow of Alcoholics Anonymous’ 75th anniversary. SOS is the world’s largest non-religious alterative to AA’s traditional “faith based” 12-Step program. <br />
The ecumenical festival will feature all recovery options, including AA, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, SOS, Women for Sobriety, SMART Recovery and mental health community recovery groups. <br />
For more information, contact Jim Christopher via e-mail at sos<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top">Back to top</a></i></div><hr /><h3><a href="" name="SHARE"></a>Skeptics and Humanists Aid and Relief Effort (SHARE) Receives Notable Coverage in The New York Times</h3>The Center for Inquiry’s charitable arm, Skeptics and Humanists Aid and Relief Effort (SHARE), received a notable mention in an April 2nd <i>New York Times</i> feature piece by distinguished columnist Samuel G. Freedman titled <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=8yXp6xgCVZsO8wlg67fSuA.."><i>Atheists’ Collection Plate, With Religious Inspiration</i></a>. (The Center is a supporting organization of the Council for Secular Humanism.)<br />
Sherry Rook, CFI’s vice president of development, was quoted in the story, which detailed the recent efforts of the new “Foundation Beyond Belief,” founded by Dale McGowan. <i> </i><br />
The full article is available online <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=vRmN1bG0cnoaTWm9GhFxpQ..">here</a>. <br />
SHARE raised more than $100,000 in relief funds following the devastating January 12 Haitian earthquake. The response was immediate, with $47,000 coming in less than 24 hours after <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=vs4XS1LAHcohR0QCrUsd0w.." target="_blank" title="blocked::http://www.centerforinquiry.net/news/share_opens_fund_for_haiti_quake_relief/">announcing the campaign </a> on January 15. All donations—100 percent with no operating costs retained—were sent directly to the secular aid group Doctors Without Borders, which suffered the loss of all three of its medical facilities and worked against difficulties to provide the basics of first-aid care and stabilization. <br />
SHARE began as a project of the Council for Secular Humanism in 1989 to provide an alternative for those who wish to contribute to disaster relief efforts without the intermediary of a religious organization. At that time SHARE was called the Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Effort. In early 2010, the SHARE program was transferred to the Center for Inquiry's aegis and renamed Skeptics and Humanists Aid and Relief Effort, still maintaining the acronym SHARE. <br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top">Back to top</a></i></div><hr /><h3><a href="" name="legal"></a>On the Legal Front:</h3><b><i>Church-State Struggle Continues to Fester in East Ramapo, New York <br />
</i></b><b><i>By Oscar Cohen</i></b><br />
Our school district is in the midst of a church-state First Amendment struggle. The tension is palpable on alternate Wednesday evenings during East Ramapo Central School District’s (ERCSD) board meetings (<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=V9vHCQg8MRxTsi0rxJPbQQ..">www.youtube.com/luckylouproduction</a>) where five of the nine school board members, voted into office by the orthodox Jewish community, consistently vote as a bloc to advance the interests of religion-based private schools. Three of the nine Board members, and most of the audience, are residents who have attended and/or whose children attend the public schools; their advocacy for public school education is clear. The bloc of five’s whispering, furtiveness, threats, and refusal to respond to the public’s questions characterize many of the meetings. This is a manifestly unequal tug-of-war concerning the use of public funds for private religious schools versus the use of taxes to support secular public school education.<br />
A major interest of the religious school-associated board members is the referral of parochial special education school children to private religious schools at taxpayer expense. Children with disabilities in the United States are entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Only when a school district cannot provide an appropriate special education to a child may the school district consider placing, and paying for, a child to attend a private school. The cost of such private service to the ERCSD can be as much as $70,000/year per student as opposed to approximately $25,000/year in a public school. ERCSD is known to offer excellent special education programs, superior to and less expensive than those in most private schools. There is no apparent educational reason for most children with disabilities in East Ramapo to be sent to private religious schools for such services at taxpayer expense.<br />
Nevertheless, this winter the bloc of five, without prior discussion with the full board, fired the ERCSD district attorney of twenty-five years despite community objections, hiring instead a Long Island based lawyer with a well-documented reputation for placing children with disabilities in private religious schools at public expense. Every request for an explanation for hiring this attorney was met with silence. The new lawyer is charging the district $424,000 more than the previous school attorney, including $200 per meeting for the hundred-mile round trip he must take. The previous attorney worked in the county and did not charge for travel. This kind of decision is affecting students attending public schools in a negative way. For example, with the budget already tight, the district was unable to fund participation in a $300,000 nationally heralded math and science enrichment project for high school students. Thus, an exemplary program serving scores of high school students was in effect exchanged for a lawyer supporting the interests of the private religious schools. <br />
The deliberate referrals of special education children to private religious schools at public expense violate the intent of federal law while contributing to the growing <i>de facto</i> segregation within ERCSD, where most attendees are students of color. The diminution of resources for students attending public schools is reflected by ERCSD graduation rates. Once among the highest achieving districts in Rockland County, ERCSD 2009 high school graduation rate has fallen to 67 percent compared to neighboring districts of Suffern (88 percent), Nyack (84 percent), and Pearl River (94 percent).<br />
East Ramapo’s diversity is its strength. Its schools should serve as a magnet attracting homebuyers, teachers, school administrators, and business leaders. Instead, the contentious school board meetings, which generate undesirable media reports, and the board’s placing children with disabilities in private religious schools despite the existence of exemplary special education services in the East Ramapo public schools, are worrisome. Reducing resources to students in public schools in order to support private religious schools counters the spirit and letter of the law and will continue to undermine the vitality and growth of a diverse and wonderful community. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">------------------------------------------------------------ </div><b><i>CFI Files Amicus Brief with High Court </i></b><br />
On Monday, March 15, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=oHmohQPGQVXM10COz311-A..">submitted an amicus brief </a>in the U.S. Supreme Court case of <i>Christian Legal Society v. Martinez</i>. CFI argued that religious student organizations do not have the constitutional right to violate public colleges' non-discrimination policies. <br />
The case concerns a student chapter of the Christian Legal Society (CLS) at the University of California, Hastings College of Law. CLS sued the school after being denied official recognition and funding because the student group excluded non-Christian, gay and lesbian students, in violation of the school's non-discrimination policy. That policy requires that student groups can receive funding and official recognition only if they are open to all students. CLS maintains that enforcement of this policy interferes with the group’s right to free speech and free exercise of religion. <br />
Read more <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=PO4h0qAnMh6kS0En1zvUAw..">here</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ------------------------------------------------------------</div><b><i>UN Human Rights Council Passes 'Defamation of Religions' Resolution by Slim Margin</i></b><br />
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has yet again passed a resolution, backed by Islamic countries, to suppress criticism of religion in the name of defending human rights. The Council passed a non-binding resolution on March 25 targeting the so-called "defamation of religions," with 20 votes in favor, 17 against, and 8 abstentions.<br />
Read more <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=WBLkoQYNwL7rRcGDuDOnWQ..">here.</a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top">Back to top</a></i></div><hr /><h3><a href="" name="OPP"></a>Office of Public Policy Update</h3>With all the news coming out of Washington the past few weeks regarding health care, it may be hard to imagine that anything else has been happening. Rest assured, though, that the CFI <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=1_daCUEzoeRWOgiOF0wsTg..">Office of Public Policy </a>(OPP) has been working hard! Here is your March update: <br />
<b><i>Civic Days Conference Is Almost Here!</i></b><br />
Preparations for Civic Days are now in full swing. We have planned many fun and exciting events to compliment our lobby training and events on Capitol Hill. On Sunday evening, April 25, Civic Days participants will have the opportunity to have coffee, dessert, and conversation with Doug Crandall. Doug is currently the director of legislative affairs for the U.S. Forest Service. He has worked in government throughout his distinguished career and will be present to discuss his experience in both the executive and legislative branches of government. He’s also really cool and pours a mean martini…<br />
Another event that we are delighted to highlight is a visit on Sunday afternoon to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, where our guests will have the opportunity to explore two exhibits on evolution: <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=1f-thhCLLqnv-vtUSf3wVA..">Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution</a> and the <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=vG4YNM3bW1vmkuFb-2QC1A..">David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins</a>. These self-guided tours will explore the origins of humankind, from our ancestry and evolution to the key importance of Charles Darwin’s theory in unifying the biological sciences. As we explore the halls of the museum, we will ponder and discover answers to the question “What does it mean to be human?”<br />
In addition to these events, we have also planned for Monday morning, April 26, a tour of Robert Ingersoll’s <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=2XOlDBvKSDzD6bp5CW9KpQ..">life in Washington D.C</a>. led by Steve Lowe. On Monday afternoon, we will explore the <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=Xy0z_rAgQ4BZWov9QXGfMQ..">Capitol Visitor Center</a>. Don’t miss it!<br />
For more information on Civic Days, or to register, please visit our event page at <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=dvSum5ePOlm6Zggx2wVR8A..">http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=100171</a>. If you have any questions, please contact Matt Separa by e-mail at msepara or by telephone at 202-xxx-xxxx. We hope to see you there!<br />
<b><i>CFI/Arizona Continues Lobbying Work since AZ Civic Days</i></b><br />
OPP Director Toni Van Pelt conducted a Civic Days training in Arizona this February, leading members of CFI/SAZ in their first organized lobbying effort at the state capitol in Phoenix. Since then, the folks in Arizona have continued to lobby the Arizona State Legislature on important issues relating to science and secularism. They are working to form a local coalition to lobby Senator McCain to call for an up or down vote on the nomination of Dawn Johnsen for assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel. Keep up the great work, CFI/SAZ!<br />
<b><i>OPP Director Toni Van Pelt Speaks on Science in Public Policy</i></b><br />
On March 20, Toni attended and spoke at the 4th annual Darwin Day Science Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. The conference was cosponsored by CFI/Indiana and the IUPUI Freethinkers and took place at the IUPUI Campus Center. The topic of Toni’s talk was “The Importance of Advocating for Science.” Highlighting CFI’s commitment to science and reason, Toni discussed the alarming frequency with which many Americans—including influential decision makers—fail to understand the nature of scientific inquiry and the integrity of empirical research. She further spoke on how this seeming disdain for science and its methods is aggravated by the excessive influence of religious doctrine on public policy and how the Office of Public Policy works to combat these injustices by advancing science and reason in the nation’s capital.<br />
<b><i>Repealing 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell'</i></b><br />
President Obama recently announced that the time has come to finally repeal the discriminatory policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which prevents gay, lesbian, and bisexual soldiers from serving openly in our military. The OPP has been hard at work advocating for this repeal. CFI just published a position paper authored by Derek C. Araujo, CFI’s general counsel and director of CFI’s legal department. The paper carefully weighs the arguments for and against repealing DADT and concludes that maintaining the policy has significantly compromised the quality, effectiveness, and readiness of the United States military. The paper, along with all of CFI’s other position papers, is available <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=sFQ62nAi00MBc4L39dbCMw..">here</a>. Also, on March 23, OPP Director Toni Van Pelt and Policy Analyst Matt Separa attended a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress on implementing the repeal of DADT. A full round-up is available <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=hwJkCfohY1qvuwJq26MZ2Q..">here</a>.<br />
Join us next month when we will have a full report on Civic Days and other exciting news!<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top">Back to top</a></i></div><hr /><h3><a href="" name="brookings"></a>Brookings Guide for Governments and Country’s School Boards Neglects Secularists</h3><i><b>A Special Report from the Office of Public Policy<br />
</b><b>By Toni Van Pelt</b></i><br />
The Center for Inquiry Office of Public Policy (OPP) actively monitors and comments on the workings of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and its President’s Advisory Council and affiliated taskforces. Earlier this year representatives of the OPP attended a Brookings Institution presentation introducing a publication titled <i>Religious Expression in American Public Life</i>. Although Brookings says the document is intended “to provide accessible and useful information for Americans about this area of law,” it may be of more use to religious rather than nonreligious Americans.<br />
According to Brookings, the document discusses current legal protections of religious expression, including issues such as religion and politics; religious gatherings on government property; chaplains in legislative bodies, prisons, and the military; and religion in the workplace. The document also covers the history and future of “common-ground projects in the religious freedom field.”<br />
The Brookings presenters, who were part of a much larger group that drafted the document, were described as a “diverse working group of religious and secular leaders.” They included Melissa Rogers, nonresident senior fellow with the Governance Studies Department at Brookings and director of Wake Forest University School of Divinity Center for Religion and Public Affairs. She spearheaded the production of this document following a conference held five years ago by the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center and the McCormick Freedom Museum. A previous joint statement on religious expression in public schools was distributed to school boards around the country. The current effort, Religious Expression in American Public Life, is being published as a booklet in a question-and-answer format and will be distributed to local governments and school boards nationwide.<br />
OPP’s initial review of the document found bias in the framing of the booklet’s questions. Most questions are couched in language that presumes religious expression is of primary importance. Scant attention is paid to the limits on religious expression imposed by the constitutional separation of church and state, and little or no attention is paid to the rights of nonbelievers. Nowhere does one find a discussion of how nonreligious students are protected by law from religious intrusion in public school. The conclusion of the document states “we agree that current laws protect the rights of people to express their religious convictions and practice their faith on government property and in public life as described here. Thus, we hope this document will help settle the debate whether current law provides any protection for the right of religious expression and practice in these settings (it clearly does).” Again, no concern is expressed for the rights of secularists.<br />
According to Brookings Senior Fellow E.J. Dionne Jr., “the starting point for our dialogue and agreement is our shared conviction that religious liberty or freedom of conscience is a fundamental inalienable right for all people, religious and nonreligious.” <br />
While the Office of Public Policy agrees this should be the starting point, OPP representatives do not believe this sentiment was followed in the development of this document. OPP staff will continue to protect our secular values and our secular democracy, and to monitor and challenge those who favor the religious.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top">Back to top</a></i></div><hr /><h3> <a href="" name="media"></a>In the Media:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=bxMLsI46wfmpB_e-sONLxQ..">An institution accustomed to kid gloves</a>, 4/07/10 - "On Faith" Newsweek/Washington Post </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=-i9E-44pYl19IDc05t5wzA..">Who could replace Pope Benedict?, </a>3/30/10 - "On Faith" Newsweek/Washington Post </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=2oq8-ore6iMUzMhZyjAqmw..">Atheist advocate coming to city</a>, 3/30/10 - <i>The Guelph Mercury</i> </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=hQAxmxfmQAXIqgWsI6MheA..">Texas Freedom Network vs. Texas State Board of Education</a>, 3/29/10 - Education News.org </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=H2Pxp1DYft4q93jwzLe4HA..">Atheists love this country, too</a>, 3/18/10 - <i>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</i> </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=6SILaegVKLc7B4ELU8V-9Q..">Pulpit disbelief is nothing new,</a> 3/16/10 - "On Faith" Newsweek/Washington Post </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=F6ls0w-_J4B6cAtGjDrq1w..">Blashphemy regulations not up to par, U.N. rep says</a>, 3/16/10 - <i>The Daily Free Press</i> </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=FrQkhLwT04q_LMJXEDQ4ig..">Intolerant India</a>, 3/11/10 - <i>Wall Street Journal</i> </li>
<li><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=2jP7Rt5Fm5zglN_2bm4w3A..">The end for tax-funded religious service agencies?, </a>3/10/10 - "On Faith" Newsweek/Washington Post </li>
</ul><div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2315601929493458571&postID=1553510486068062224#top">Back to top</a></i></div><hr /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img height="1" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/PixelServer?j=QnSa7mXmghOLEfVyl3pr3A.." width="1" /> </td> </tr>
<tr> <td><hr /><table border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="width: 165px;" width="165"><img alt="CFI Affiliate Logo for CSH Online News" height="46" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/12458.gif" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;" width="158" /></td> <td class="cfilogo"><span style="color: #486fba;">Secular Humanism Online News is edited by Nathan Bupp, Vice President of Communications for the Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry. centerforinquiry.net</span></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="footertext"><b>The Council for Secular Humanism is committed to free inquiry, reason, and science, the separation of Church and State, civil liberties, nontheism and humanist ethics. It does not endorse candidates or parties, nor does it take political positions as a corporate body. We open our publications to a wide range of opinions, including dissenting viewpoints; opinions expressed in columns and articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Council.</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><hr /><table border="0" style="width: 600px;"><tbody>
<tr style="color: #999999; font-size: 16px;"> <td width="40%"><div align="center"><b><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=PIufoxKe5lYsw4ZQjuy7zA.." style="text-decoration: none;">What is Secular Humanism?</a></b></div></td> <td width="20%"><div align="center"><b><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=dvpjZp9qEVsdsDCumX99Qg.." style="text-decoration: none;">Donate</a></b></div></td> <td width="40%"><div align="center"><b><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=OBsq-PDaO13CAYxXBV7vkQ.." style="text-decoration: none;">Free Inquiry Magazine</a></b></div></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><img alt="Wrapper Footer CSH Online News" height="35" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/12459.jpg" width="600" /></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="text-align: center;"> <br />
©2010 <a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=ptWqQrqLJ32RMGXL6HZdwQ.." title="Council for Secular Humanism">Council for Secular Humanism</a>, 3965 Rensch Road, Amherst, NY 14228<br />
</span></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><div id="cv-poweredBy"><a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=Ik6ah8ntBzzABIht1FjvjA.." title="online fundraising, advocacy & donor database"> <img alt="powered by CONVIO" src="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/images/powered_by_convio.gif" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=qKbNMbuJdiFEiGeAitEWCw.." title="Nonprofit Fundraising Software">nonprofit software </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-58059873856376636332010-03-12T17:18:00.000-06:002010-03-12T17:18:26.092-06:00I would walk 500 miles.<div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span class="218020523-12032010">Lighten up, people....</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"></span> <br />
<hr /><div style="line-height: 100%; margin: 0px; text-indent: 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</div><div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-65646497813512273702010-02-04T15:50:00.000-06:002010-02-04T15:50:26.726-06:00Portland Humanist Examiner: Religion: Idaho Baptists face conspiracy, kidnapping charges in Haiti<img alt="examiner logo" border="0" height="40" src="http://www.examiner.com/img/menu/examinercom_logo_whiite.gif" /> <br />
<div style="border: 10px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); padding: 10px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td height="210" valign="top"><div style="display: block; height: 3px; width: 200px;"></div><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-10853-Portland-Humanist-Examiner%7Ey2010m2d4-Religion-Idaho-Baptists-face-conspiracy-kidnapping-charges-in-Haiti?cid=examiner-email"></a> <br />
<div class="panel_h2" style="color: #134a9e; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px;"><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-10853-Portland-Humanist-Examiner%7Ey2010m2d4-Religion-Idaho-Baptists-face-conspiracy-kidnapping-charges-in-Haiti?cid=examiner-email">Religion: Idaho Baptists face conspiracy, kidnapping charges in Haiti</a><br />
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-10853-Portland-Humanist-Examiner%7Ey2010m2d4-Religion-Idaho-Baptists-face-conspiracy-kidnapping-charges-in-Haiti?cid=examiner-email"><span class="new_timestamp">Thursday, February 4, 2010</span> </a></div><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-10853-Portland-Humanist-Examiner%7Ey2010m2d4-Religion-Idaho-Baptists-face-conspiracy-kidnapping-charges-in-Haiti?cid=examiner-email"></a> Religion: Idaho Baptists face conspiracy and attempted kidnapping charges in Haiti. 10 Idaho Baptists who tried to smuggle 33 children out of Haiti into the neighboring Dominican Republic have been charged with conspiracy and attempted kidnapping,... <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-10853-Portland-Humanist-Examiner%7Ey2010m2d4-Religion-Idaho-Baptists-face-conspiracy-kidnapping-charges-in-Haiti?cid=examiner-email"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Read more</span></a> » <br />
<hr style="border: 3px solid rgb(247, 247, 239);" /><hr /><span style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-10853-Portland-Humanist-Examiner?cid=examiner-email">Portland Humanist Examiner</a>, Micha J. Stone</span><br />
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 5px;"><img align="left" hspace="5" src="http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/author/seahum_44744_2009-05-20%2014-32-29.312.jpg" vspace="5" /></div><br />
<span style="color: #333333;">Micha is a freelance writer and truth seeker. Micha adopts an optimistic stance that entails self determination and the dignity and worth of all people. More than simply negating the supernatural, Micha will investigate the human condition where politics and religion intersect. Informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion, Micha's task is to question the world in pursuit of the good. With an eye toward human and civil rights, church and state, oppression and discrimination, life and death; Micha will explore all manner of intolerance, bigotry, and injustice. The task is to explore and expose inhumanity, while promoting the humane, the just, and the wise.</span><br />
<br clear="all" /></td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="bottom"></td> <td valign="top"></td> </tr>
</tbody></table></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315601929493458571.post-49440578801224166072009-10-17T14:14:00.001-05:002010-11-03T09:21:03.187-05:00AANEWS for Monday, October 5, 2009A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S<br />
A A N E W S<br />
#1281 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10/05/09<br />
<a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org</a><br />
<a href="http://www.americanatheist.org/">http://www.americanatheist.org</a><br />
<a href="http://www.atheistviewpoint.tv/">http://www.atheistviewpoint.tv</a><br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS, a nationwide movement that defends<br />
civil rights for non-believers; works for the total separation of<br />
Church and State; and addresses issues of First Amendment public<br />
policy.<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
"ATHEIST is really a thoroughly honest, unambiguous term, it admits<br />
of no paltering and no evasion, and the need of the world, now as<br />
ever, is for clear-cut issues and unambiguous speech."<br />
-- Chapman Cohen<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
In This Issue...<br />
* The Other Side of Blasphemy<br />
* Worth Noting -- An Atheist Christmas, Travolta done with<br />
Scientology?<br />
* Dave's blog<br />
* Resources<br />
* About this list...<br />
THE OTHER SIDE OF "BLASPHEMY" -- WHY ATHEISTS NEED TO DEFEND<br />
FREE SPEECH FOR THE RELIGIOUS, THE IDIOTIC, THE EXTREME --<br />
AND OURSELVES<br />
Regular readers of AANEWS will likely recognize the names of Ray<br />
Comfort and Benny Hinn.<br />
Mr. Comfort is a professional evangelist and minister with a<br />
penchant for debating Atheists and other non-believers. He was<br />
ostensibly raised without religious beliefs, and once declared, "I<br />
went through life without any Christian instruction at all. I went<br />
to church about three times in about twenty years. I hated it.<br />
I found it was an insult top my,your intellect."<br />
Not for long, however. After "finding Jesus," he became a preacher<br />
in his hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand, and embraced an<br />
aggressive proselytizing style he describes as "Biblical Evangelism."<br />
He teamed up former child actor and adolescent heart throb Kirk<br />
Cameron -- a self-proclaimed former Atheist -- to launch and<br />
international ministry which since 2002 has increasingly focused<br />
on proselytizing and converting Atheists, Freethinkers and other<br />
religious skeptics. Indeed, Mr. Comfort was a guest speaker at<br />
the 2001 National Convention of American Atheists in Orlando,<br />
Florida where he debated then-National Spokesperson Ron Barrier.<br />
Comfort and Cameron are also regular headline grabbers for their<br />
latest project which involves distribution of anti-evolution<br />
materials on select college campuses next month during the 150th<br />
anniversary of Charles Darwin's opus, "The Origin of Species."<br />
Mr. Hinn is an even more colorful character, a swashbuckling<br />
televangelist, faith-healer and showman who operates a number of<br />
international outreach programs under the banner of "World Healing<br />
Center Church, Inc." and Benny Hinn Ministries. His daily half-hour<br />
television program, "This is Your Day" reaches over 100 countries,<br />
According to an investigation by the NBC program "Dateline," Mr. Hinn<br />
has not provided credible information attesting to the efficacy<br />
of his faith-healing performances; but reporters did confirm that<br />
Hinn resides in a $10 million "parsonage," and has a disposition<br />
for staying in $10,000-per-night hotel suites during "layover" in<br />
his ministry travels. Hinn's labyrinth of international companies<br />
and the protection afforded to religious corporate entities make it<br />
difficult if not impossible to accurately ascertain just how much<br />
money he is taking in from credulous followers -- but it must be<br />
substantial in order to support his high-profile lifestyle.<br />
We mention Ray Comfort and Benny Hinn because they are not only<br />
regular newsmakers but are also part of the contentious and growing<br />
debate over "blasphemy" and freedom of speech.<br />
With Atheist and other nonbeliever organizations prospering,<br />
Mr. Comfort's bombastic claims about the evils of questioning<br />
the existence of God and the doctrines of religion seem be having<br />
little impact. Secularism is on the rise, and the percentage of<br />
Americans who identify themselves has having no religious beliefs<br />
is growing. Even so, some of our comrades in the struggle for<br />
Reason and secularism are succumbing to the temptation to use<br />
the legal system to circumscribe religious speech, insisting that<br />
criticism -- or outright insult directed at Atheists -- is a form of<br />
"hate speech." One recent example is the threat by a Texas-based<br />
Atheist to sue Mr. Comfort and his ministry for distributing an<br />
unflattering bumper sticker. (The full background can be found in<br />
the links listed below).<br />
As for the flamboyant Mr. Hinn, he is back in the headlines after<br />
being refused entry into Great Britain under laws designed to contain<br />
religious extremism. Thousands of Mr. Hinn's contributors --eh,<br />
make that supporters -- who had flocked to London to take in Hinn's<br />
colorful performance were disappointed according to the Telegraph<br />
newspaper. Hinn was reportedly turned away by border officials<br />
because he failed to produce documents of "sponsorship" by his<br />
church. That explanation, however, ignores the fact that Hinn and his<br />
traveling miracle fest have stumped the British countryside before.<br />
"He's been coming here for years and years," groused one follower.<br />
"I think it is very unfair that they have blocked him now."<br />
Indeed, the action taken against Mr. Hinn is unfair. British<br />
authorities have little to say about the matter; but this incident<br />
suggests that the government remains nervous about the possibility<br />
of religious tensions in a nation where the "official" Church of<br />
England has lost its privileged position, and Islam -- thanks to<br />
mass immigration -- is on the rise. If separationists take the<br />
position that church, mosque and temple must not mingle in the<br />
affairs in the state, the state must not mingle in theirs.<br />
And why exclude Benny Hinn? His sideshow and outrageous claims<br />
pale in comparison to that presented by the Pope Benedict and his<br />
predecessors. Were a mainstream Protestant or Mullah from outside<br />
the country, or the Dali Lama, to seek entry they would likely<br />
be welcomed with open arms. Why pick on Hinn? Are his effusive<br />
claims any less reasonable than those made by mainstream faiths?<br />
Critics of religion, in fact, should welcome Hinn. He is a<br />
useful foil in pointing to the "dark side" of religious passions.<br />
Incursions by American and other evangelicals have failed to reverse<br />
the growing secularization in Britain and throughout most of Europe.<br />
Finally, banning Hinn or other controversial religious figures<br />
simply fuels the credence of fundamentalist groups who might point<br />
to the action of the government and claim that the state has become<br />
"hostile" to religious freedoms and sensibilities.<br />
A similar situation arises when Atheist and other nonbelievers<br />
turn to the government to squelch religious claims and opinions.<br />
In the Texas case, an Atheist argued that materials from Ray<br />
Comfort's ministry were "hateful." They may be; but the First<br />
Amendment protects such remarks, and courts place limit on speech<br />
only under very specific cases such as "fighting words," libel and<br />
slander. Religious groups continue their shrill clamor insisting<br />
that governments enforce or create blasphemy statutes, such as<br />
the recent Durban II international conference where Islamists<br />
backed a wide range of restriction on remarks that criticized or<br />
mocked their beliefs. Should the Freethought movement mimic these<br />
intolerant demands?<br />
Resorting to courts in the hope that anti-Atheist remarks can<br />
be punished and banned makes us look as if we are defending<br />
"just another religion." It undermines our claim that Reason and<br />
free expression are the most efficacious antidotes to religious<br />
dogmatism. Heading to court or hoping that, we too, can hide<br />
behind restrictions on civil liberties makes us look as intolerant<br />
as religious authoritarians.<br />
Traditionally, Atheists have been in the forefront in the struggle to<br />
defend freedom of thought and freedom of express. Charles Bradlaugh,<br />
for instance, was founder of Britain's National Secular Society,<br />
and led the fight to abolish the religious test for newly-elected<br />
lawmakers in Parliament. In America, Freethinkers like C.B. Reynolds<br />
spearheaded the effort to abolish arcane blasphemy laws which had<br />
lingered on the law books for decades. That effort was part of a<br />
legacy on behalf of freedom of expression which, in 1952, saw the<br />
Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) strike down restrictions<br />
on movies which purportedly had "sacrilegious content." These same<br />
battles continue today in a different forms as nation states flirt<br />
with new versions of blasphemy and censorship statues, or the UN<br />
takes up the matter of giving religious beliefs special protections.<br />
Atheists need to be in this fight. We also need to stake out and<br />
defend a principled position which opposes government restrictions<br />
on legitimate free speech. We have, too often, been the victims<br />
of such legislative experiments, along with minority religions and<br />
theological dissidents. The true alternative to "hate speech" and<br />
"hurtful" remarks clearly remains more (not less) spirited discourse.<br />
-- Conrad Goeringer<br />
Editor, AANEWS<br />
Web links used in this article:<br />
<<a href="http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2009/09/we-may-have-to-shut-down-atheist.html">http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2009/09/we-may-have-to-shut-down-atheist.html</a>><br />
"We may have to shut down Atheist Central"<br />
Details about threatened legal action against Ray Comfort<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHIPag-m40">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHIPag-m40</a><br />
Atheist threatens to sue Ray Comfort over bumper sticker An<br />
articulate response on a proposal to sue on account of alleged<br />
religious "hate speech"<br />
<<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6257116/Christian-preacher-refused-entry-to-Britain-under-rules-intended-to-fight-extremism.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6257116/Christian-preacher-refused-entry-to-Britain-under-rules-intended-to-fight-extremism.html</a>><br />
Christian preacher refused entry to Britain under rules intended<br />
to fight extremism Christian evangelist Benny Hinn, from Texas,<br />
has been refused entry to Britain after falling foul of new rules<br />
drawn up to combat hate crimes and extremism.<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hinn">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hinn</a><br />
Wikipedia background on Benny Hinn<br />
**<br />
WORTH NOTING --<br />
<<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-27/travoltas-scientology-turning-point/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsL3">http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-27/travoltas-scientology-turning-point/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsL3</a>><br />
Travolta's Scientology Turning Point? The actor's public<br />
acknowledgement that his son, who died in January, was autistic has<br />
former Scientologists convinced that he will leave the church-which<br />
they say has little tolerance for chronic conditions.<br />
<<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/sep/29/atheist-guide-christmas-religionAtheism">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/sep/29/atheist-guide-christmas-religionAtheism</a>>s open-door policy On Friday, Cif belief editor Andrew<br />
Brown wrote, "It is entirely possible that Ariane Sherine's book<br />
on enjoying an atheist Christmas will sell this Christmas; but come<br />
the new year, it won't be found on the bookshelf in the toilet but<br />
in lavatories nicely warmed by Agas." His assertion is that atheists<br />
(or "new atheists", as he confusingly calls us - are we the ones who<br />
refuse to stay quiet?) are "educated and professional" snobs, and<br />
that we use our lack of belief as an excuse to look down on people<br />
who are working class: "Obviously, it is no longer done to sneer at<br />
the working classes for being idle, brutish, smelly, and breeding too<br />
much. But it's perfectly OK to sneer at 'faith heads' for all these<br />
things: that shows you're enlightened. It's pure coincidence that<br />
the despicable believers are for the most part lower class as well."<br />
<<a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/09/28/four-winged-dino-clinches-the-case-for-bird-evolution/">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/09/28/four-winged-dino-clinches-the-case-for-bird-evolution/</a>><br />
Four-Winged Dino Clinches the Case for Bird Evolution A feathered<br />
dinosaur unearthed in a Chinese quarry has added another solid piece<br />
of evidence to the theory that birds descended from dinosaurs. The<br />
newly uncovered fossil of the species Anchiornis huxleyi dates from<br />
the Late Jurassic period, 151-161 million years ago, and therefore<br />
predates the earliest known bird, the Archaeopteryx. Paleontologists<br />
say this represents the final proof that dinosaurs were ancestral<br />
to birds. "Drawing the tree of life, it's fairly obvious that<br />
feathers arose before Archaeopteryx appears in the fossil record"<br />
[BBC News], says paleontologist Michael Benton.<br />
<<a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2009/09/jesus-new-testament-atheist-atheism-bart-ehrman-cs-lewis/1">http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2009/09/jesus-new-testament-atheist-atheism-bart-ehrman-cs-lewis/1</a>><br />
Atheist reviewer takes on scholar's look at Jesus, Bible minusRusty<br />
is a Faith & Reason regular who likes to stick a pin in conventional<br />
views fairly often. So he's picked an author for the Book Club<br />
who's well matched to his inquisitive ways.<br />
<a href="http://wvgazette.com/News/200909290601">http://wvgazette.com/News/200909290601</a><br />
Coalition of atheists puts out call on billboard MORGANTOWN, W.Va. --<br />
Members of Morgantown's recently formed Coalition of Reason have<br />
a simple message: If you don't believe in God, you aren't alone.<br />
<<a href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/09/30/oh-damn-blasphemy-day-looks-for-a-target/">http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/09/30/oh-damn-blasphemy-day-looks-for-a-target/</a>><br />
Oh, Damn! Blasphemy Day Looks for a Target Today, September 30,<br />
is Blasphemy Day, and if that makes you want to curse, then the<br />
Center for Inquiry may be the place to register your epithet -- or<br />
send a donation. It all depends on your point of view, and whether<br />
you want to complain about an atheist whose beliefs you can't stand<br />
or denounce a divinity you don't believe in.<br />
<<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6247329/International-blasphemy-day-from-Danish-cartoons-to-Jerry-Springer---The-Opera.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6247329/International-blasphemy-day-from-Danish-cartoons-to-Jerry-Springer---The-Opera.html</a>><br />
International Blasphemy Day: from Danish cartoons to Jerry Springer<br />
-The Opera International Blasphemy Day, 30 September, is intended<br />
"to remind the world that religion should never again be beyond<br />
open and honest discussion". It marks the anniversary of the 2005<br />
publication of the 12 Danish cartoons that depicted Mohammed and<br />
led to worldwide riots. Its founders want to "dismantle the wall<br />
which exists between religion and criticism<br />
<<a href="http://blogs.indystar.com/thoushalt/2009/09/a_struggle_for.html">http://blogs.indystar.com/thoushalt/2009/09/a_struggle_for.html</a>><br />
A struggle for the hearts and minds of "fundamentalist atheists"<br />
Who knew there were "fundamentalist atheists?" In a rebuke of the<br />
group he founded, Center for Inquiry Transnational creator Paul<br />
Kurtz says in an essay that a blasphemy contest sponsored by CFI<br />
"is not dissimilar to the anti-semitic cartoons of the Nazi era."<br />
<<a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091001-oldest-human-skeleton-ardi-missing-link-chimps-ardipithecus-ramidus.html">http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091001-oldest-human-skeleton-ardi-missing-link-chimps-ardipithecus-ramidus.html</a>><br />
Oldest "Human" Skeleton Found--Disproves "Missing Link" Scientists<br />
today announced the discovery of the oldest fossil skeleton of a<br />
human ancestor. The find reveals that our forebears underwent a<br />
previously unknown stage of evolution more than a million years<br />
before Lucy, the iconic early human ancestor specimen that walked<br />
the Earth 3.2 million years ago.<br />
<<a href="http://www.newschannel9.com/news/says-985149-football-field.html">http://www.newschannel9.com/news/says-985149-football-field.html</a>><br />
Bible Verse Banner Banned From Football Games FORT OGLETHORPE, GA -<br />
A Christian sign is banned from the football field and now hundreds<br />
rally to voice their disapproval. For years Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe<br />
cheerleaders have held a sign with a bible verse up before football<br />
games. But now that has changed and fans, families, and people<br />
of faith are not happy. "It's kind of angered all of us but it's<br />
also upset us just because we work really hard, and we're trying<br />
to encourage the football team, and the community and that's just<br />
been taking away from us," Taylor Guinn, a L.F.O. cheerleader, says.<br />
<<a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20091001/NEWS04/91001066/1001/NEWS/School-district-says-it-erred-in-allowing-church-permission-slips">http://www.freep.com/article/20091001/NEWS04/91001066/1001/NEWS/School-district-says-it-erred-in-allowing-church-permission-slips</a>><br />
School district says it erred in allowing church permission slips<br />
After complaints raised by a Muslim group, the school district in<br />
Roseville said today it made a mistake when permission slips were<br />
distributed to elementary school students that would allow them to<br />
attend Bible classes in a Baptist church.<br />
<<a href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/02/what-christians-and-muslims-can-learn-from-the-the-saint-and-th/">http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/02/what-christians-and-muslims-can-learn-from-the-the-saint-and-th/</a>><br />
What Christians and Muslims Can Learn From the 'The Saint and the<br />
Sultan' Forget the St. Francis of folklore - or Giotto, for that<br />
matter -- and make way for a chapter of history that longtime Newsday<br />
religion writer Paul Moses says, "in the language of the newsroom<br />
. . . was covered up.'' His new book, "The Saint and the Sultan,''<br />
reveals a Francis so opposed to the Fifth Crusade that he crossed<br />
enemy lines on a peace mission in 1219 - and walked unarmed into<br />
the camp of the sultan of Egypt, Malik al-Kamil.<br />
<a href="http://www.secularism.org.uk/114186.html">http://www.secularism.org.uk/114186.html</a><br />
Is Ricky Gervais' new film really atheist propaganda? The new film<br />
from NSS honorary associate Ricky Gervais, The Invention of Lying,<br />
has been accused of being little more than atheist propaganda. The<br />
film is set in a world where there is no lying, until the character<br />
played by Ricky Gervais tells his dying mother that she will go to<br />
heaven and be with the angels, thereby inventing religion. Before<br />
that, because everyone told the total truth, religion could not<br />
exist.<br />
<<a href="http://www.newuniversity.org/2009/05/opinion/good_fences_make_good190/">http://www.newuniversity.org/2009/05/opinion/good_fences_make_good190/</a>><br />
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors In an attempt to blur the lines<br />
between church and state, 33 churches participated in a nationwide<br />
event called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" in September 2008, prior to the<br />
historic November election. The goal of this event was to trigger a<br />
legal fight and ultimately overturn regulations that prevent places<br />
of worship from supporting or opposing candidates for office.<br />
<<a href="http://www.ncregister.com/daily/president_obama_finds_greatest_support_among_atheists_and_jews">http://www.ncregister.com/daily/president_obama_finds_greatest_support_among_atheists_and_jews</a>><br />
President Obama Finds Greatest Support Among Atheists and Jews<br />
Gallup's Daily Tracking for the month of September found that 65%<br />
of American atheists, agnostics and non-religious approve of the<br />
job Barack Obama is doing as president. The president finds his<br />
greatest support from non-religious and American Jews.<br />
<<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1217925/The-end-world-Watch-new-trailer-disaster-movie-2012.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1217925/The-end-world-Watch-new-trailer-disaster-movie-2012.html</a>><br />
2012, the end-of-the-world feature film that critics say is a<br />
disaster all by itself. See the hilariously OTT trailer here The<br />
world ravaged by fires, earthquakes, meteor showers and floods and<br />
a heroic struggle for survivors. t sounds like something straight<br />
out of Hollywood - and it is. This is the first glimpse of the<br />
latest U.S. blockbuster, 2012. John Cusack leads an all-star cast,<br />
featuring Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel<br />
Ejiofor and Amanda Peet struggling to stay alive when the Earth is<br />
threatened with the biggest disaster man has ever known.<br />
**<br />
SILVERMAN BLOG SHAKING UP CYBERSPACE!<br />
It is one of the fastest growing blogs in the<br />
Atheist/Freethought/Secular Humanist community, and you can get in<br />
on the discussion!<br />
Dave Silverman, Communications Director for American Atheists is in<br />
the Blogosphere at <a href="http://nogodblog.com/">http://nogodblog.com</a>. It's filled with insight,<br />
wit, hot news, controversial opinion -- and polite, thoughtful<br />
commentary. So join the conversation! Sign up (it's free) by<br />
visiting <a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org</a> and click on the blog navigation<br />
button, or go directly to <a href="http://nogodblog.com/">http://nogodblog.com</a> .<br />
**<br />
RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS<br />
* For membership information about American Atheists, send<br />
mail to info@. Kindly include your name and postal<br />
mailing address. Ask for a free membership info packet. You may<br />
also visit <a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org</a> and click on the "Membership"<br />
navigation button.<br />
* For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and<br />
other products, send mail to catalogue@. Kindly include<br />
your name and postal mailing address, and request a copy of the<br />
AAP catalogue. You may also shop directly at <a href="http://www.atheists.org/">http://www.atheists.org</a><br />
--click on the "Shopping" navigation button.<br />
* Current members in good standing of American Atheists may sign up<br />
for our free E-mail Discussion Group list, aachat. We have over 150<br />
participants who discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First<br />
Amendment issues, creationism and much, much more. Contact the<br />
Moderator, Ed Gauci through egauci@.<br />
**<br />
ABOUT THIS LIST...<br />
AANEWS is a free service from American Atheists, a nationwide<br />
movement founded by Madalyn Murray O'Hair that defends the civil<br />
rights of nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church<br />
and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.<br />
You may forward, post or quote from this dispatch provided<br />
that appropriate credit is given to both AANEWS and American<br />
Atheists. Please do not post complete editions of this<br />
newsletter indiscriminately to news groups, boards or other<br />
outlets. Edited by Conrad F. Goeringer (cg@). The<br />
Internet Representative for American Atheists is Larry Mundinger<br />
(lmundinger@). The President of American Atheists is<br />
Ed Buckner (ebuckner@).<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
American Atheists, PO Box 158, Cranford, NJ 07016Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01775461967141787270noreply@blogger.com1