Correlation?

Freethought for Children

• No one can tell you what to think.
• Not your teachers.
• Not your parents.
• Not your minister, priest, or rabbi.
• Not your friends or relatives.
• Not this book.
• You are the boss of your own mind.
• If you have used your own mind to find out what is true, then you should be proud!
• Your thoughts are free.

from Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children, by Dan Barker

Godless: Dan Barker Lecture

Last night I attended a talk by Dan Barker, of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and author of Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists. It was a great night shared friends that were believers, past-believers, and non-believers. Dan shared his story of deconversion from Christian to Atheist/Agnostic. It is a very compelling story and I recommend watching the video below of a similar lecture.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is an educational group working to maintain separation of church and state. This past spring they celebrated a large victory in the case against National Day of Prayer. A U.S. District Judge, Barbara Crabb, ruled that National Day of Prayer violates the establishment clause of the Constitution's First Amendment. In her ruling, she wrote: "The same law that prohibits the government from declaring a National Day of Prayer also prohibits it from declaring a National Day of Blasphemy."

Religion News Weekly!

" Good people will do good things, and bad people will do bad things. But for good people to do bad things -- that takes religion." - Steve Weinberg

Like I said, I will try not to focus on the evils of religion, the harm that faith can cause. But this week I just couldn't help it. Read the linked articles below for the full story.

1. Catholics, it's you this Pope has abused

The Pope's arrival to England was met with harsh criticism over all the recent scandals of the Vatican. The Rally Against the Pope drew at least 10,000 people. Here is a most wonderful speech by Richard Dawkins shreding Ratzinger apart.

2. Protests against US Koran-burning sweep Afghanistan

Long story short. A pastor in florida is upset about the possibility of an Islamic Mosque being built near the site of the World Trade Center. So he trys to rally a 'Burn the Koran' day on the anniversary of 9/11. No one supports him and even officials warn him this may be a bad idea. He eventually doesn't go through with it because of a 'sign from God' claiming he made a deal with an Islam leader to not build the Mosque near the site. This was found to be a lie. Regardless, protesstors in Afghanistan sweep the streets eventually leaving three shot dead. Need I say more?

3. Officials awaken to Forced Marriage, Conversion of Pakistani Girls

Talk about wrong. There is a current movement right now of kidnapping young Christian girls, raping them, subjecting them to a forced marriage, then converting them to Islam.

4. Followers of Christ couple indicted in death of a child

I don't even know what to say about this one. This of course an extreme example of the dangers that irrational faith can play on the human brain. It's not the first time his has happened and surely not the last.


While cartoons may lighten the mood, the consequences of faith can have is down right devastating. While most religious moderates don't take these actions, their support of the church only allows extremism like this to go on in the name of their deity.

Gotta love religion.........

Teach the Controversy

Well which controversy?
Should we teach the:

• Stork theory of reproduction?
• Flat Earth theory?

I am all for teaching the controversy. However, I think it is important to establish what it takes to teach a scientific topic in an educational system. it must go through steps like this:

New Scientific Idea

↓

Research

↓


Peer Review

↓


Scientific Concensus

↓

Classroom & Textbooks

Also note that this process may usually take whats called a 10-15 year filter rate to be taught in an institution, especially in medicine. Creationist and Intelligent Design seem to want to skip from the first step to the last. Kenneth Miller brings this up well " Let's see you at the next Biological Society meetings, etc."

The Value of Science

Yes... there is beauty in science. This is one of my favorite poems, it is by Richard Feynman excerpted from The Value of Science.



There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.

Ages on ages before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.

Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.

Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.

Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.

Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing:
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiosity.

Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering: I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the universe.

In rememberance of 9/11

Chemistry 101

Here is a great new interpretation of the periodic table!


The bigger picture can be found here: http://i.imgur.com/6WuYi.jpg