Archive for the “Religion” Category

Stay with me here.

Scientists have discovered that clever people tend to live longer than the less clever among us. People with a so-called “smart gene” can expect to live, on average, to around 100 years of age, while those with the less smart variation of the gene can only expect around 85 years on this Earth.

Another scientist has concluded that people with higher IQs tend to more often be atheists than the general population.

Therefore, if you have the “smart gene” you are less likely to believe in God!

…

Okay, it’s not actually the “god belief” gene, but I love me some conflation and these two articles were listed as related…

The articles linked for both have more details. The former is a more reliable study than the latter, since the former is a study performed by multiple scientists with a somewhat decently sized sample group.

The latter is one scientist, who is not particularly well regarded due to previous studies that have been less than well received. And the sample size is not great - only looking at some academics and not necessarily getting their true beliefs is no way to run a study.

Sadly, Professor Gordon Lynch’s response is founded more on the “Shhh, don’t upset god-botherers” principle than any scientific merit. I guess we won’t need to test him for the smart gene.

I have always believed that all citizens are equal and should be treated accordingly. On the other hand, no group of citizens should be given government sanction and support to promote their social and sexual agenda upon the rest of us and especially, on our children.
Considering the fact that the same school system does not want to allow just one Minute of Silence in the classroom for God, this is preposterous.
- Hillsborough County School District 6 Commissioner, Brian Blair
(Source: Tampa Bays 10)

No group of citizens should be given government sanction and support to promote their social and sexual agenda, unless they’re Christian and then it should be okay for them to promote their social, sexual and moral agenda on everyone?

I think the “Day of Silence” is a stupid idea and I would not participate, but they’re doing it to promote tolerance and prevent bullying of people of a homosexual persuasion. It’s not a recruitment drive, it’s “The Secret Gay Agenda“. ie; “Leave us alone”.
They’re not asking that you become homosexual, or that you be silent for a minute a day to acknowledge the existence of a God you may or may not believe in, they just don’t want to be harassed.

By people like Mr Blair.

In stunning news today it has been revealed that Jesus has returned to Earth and is once more among us. The Second Coming starts now!

Members of a Memphis church say they’ve seen a divine image in the trunk of a tree.

Members of the St. Michaels Church on Summer Avenue say the bark pattern on a tree near their parking lot resembles the face of Jesus.

If you look from far away you can somewhat make out eyes, the outline of a nose and a partial smile.

Hmmmm, maybe it would help if we took a few steps back?

Okay, how about from over here?

Oh, yeah, I can totally see it from here!

Please form an orderly queue to the left so that we may each take our turn worshipping our new Jesus Tree!

And just think, when it comes time to crucify this one we won’t have far to look for some wood…

[Source: WMC-TV Memphis]

Someone made an interesting comment to me today while I was off on one of my semi-regular anti-religious spiels.

Religious Intolerance is akin to racism on the grounds that they are both based on tribalist feelings left over from ancient times…

Leaving aside the paucity of thought that has resulted in the latter half of that claim, I thought it was interesting that someone would put the two on an even footing. I make no bones about my general dislike of virtually every major religion of the world for a variety of reasons, but I had never thought that anyone would put the dislike of a religion on the same level as racism.

The way I see it is that religion and religious beliefs are an idea, a concept, a notion, a set of standards by which to live your life. Whether it is out of fear of a god (or gods) or some cosmic balance like karma or some other concept altogether, for the most part all religion is just a big list of things you should and shouldn’t do. If you happen to dislike the list of your current religion you can look around at some of the other religions’ lists and see what their particular god/supreme-being/cosmic-karma situation is and if you think that one suits you better, you sign up with that team instead.

Race is what you are born as. You can’t choose that anymore than you can choose your natural hair colour. Race doesn’t influence your behaviour, it doesn’t give you a list of things to do or not do and you certainly don’t need to fear eternal damnation because your skin is a little darker than your neighbours.

Disliking - even hating - a religion seems perfectly reasonable to me, so long as it is based on something more than the aforementioned “tribalist feelings”. Hating a religion simply because it’s not the one you ascribe to is a poor reason. Hating it because it encourages sacrificing virgin children to appease the rain gods and its followers actually do so?

Contrast that with hating someone simply because they’re a different colour than you?

It seemed really cut-and-dry to me at the time, but 2.30am often sheds a strange light on things and I wondered if maybe there was something I was missing.

That and it’s a great excuse for a poll…

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Feel free to tell me why I’m so very wrong in the comments section. :-)

It seems the long arm of the law has finally caught up with the Westboro Baptist Church!

Unfortunately the long arm of the law only has a limp wrist attached to it.

A woman was arrested in Bellevue on Tuesday during the funeral for a fallen soldier.

Shirley Phelps-Roper was arrested on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allowing her 8-year-old son to stomp on an American flag.

Phelps-Roper is a member of a Topeka, Kan., church that conducts anti-homosexual picketing at funeral services for U.S. soldiers.

[...]

“The arrestee, Ms. Phelps-Roper, put one around her waist. The second one was given to a 10-year-old, who put it on the ground and started kicking it in the area they were protesting,” Gray said.

Nebraska law states that it is a Class 3 misdemeanor when a person “intentionally casts contempt or ridicule upon a flag by mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling upon such flag.” The law was passed in 1977.

“It appears the adults weren’t stepping on the flag because they knew it was a violation of the law. But they allowed the children to go ahead and do that,” Gray said.

It’s a bit weak, isn’t it? What’s the penalty for a Class 3 misdemeanor?

Ahh well, it’s a start. Perhaps the Nebraskans can come up with some additional charges. Just a shame that “being a pack of silly twats” isn’t on the books!

[Source: KETV Omaha]

[Update]

Thanks to Kathi in the comments, the punishment for disrespecting the flag can be up to 3 months jail and a $500 fine. I’d prefer the former for the crazy witch. Unfortunately it’s not clear if the level of offence is the same as that for delinquency of a minor, what she was actually charged with. Pity!

[Source: A Soldier's Mind.]