This is a time lapse map of every nuclear detonation that has taken place on Earth between 1945-1998. Two guesses as to which nation leads the pack.
Monthly Archives: November 2013
Dawkins takes on a creationist
The wheels start to come off for this guy at about the 25 minute mark. He keeps referring to Bible scholars and experts yet can’t name any, and he offers no serious arguments — there are none — against evolution by natural selection, although he claims to have an omniscient god on his side.
Freethinker Tweets of the Day
It's a sad thought to get only one life and waste it on following a delusion just because it makes me feel good. #atheism
— Discovering Reason (@DscReason) November 28, 2013
https://twitter.com/_AlexisRobinson/status/405938460202369024
https://twitter.com/youredamned/status/405559060230967296
So, u r spending eternity in a place u can't describe with a being u can't imagine & u find that a comfort! #EmperorsNewClothes #atheism
— Crispy Sea (@CrispySea) November 28, 2013
If more Christians read their bible, there would be less Christians. #atheism
— Teapot (@TpotAtheist) November 27, 2013
Ricky Gervais on why atheism isn't "hopeless".#Atheism pic.twitter.com/OgQUFPSCUr
— Melissa (@MissaMHx) November 18, 2013
Haynes: Give thanks for religious freedom
This site has been down for a few days as I have been upgrading some security measures. Part of the site will be disabled, mostly secondary pages, through Nov. 30 as my web hosting provider tests the new measures I put in place. I am posting the following as a way to test the ability to make new posts during this transition period.
Here is the most recent column from Charles C. Haynes on religious freedom:
The marketing frenzy surrounding “Thanksgivukkah” – a term coined by a Massachusetts woman for this year’s rare convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah – reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon:
Leaning on the railing of a ship bound for the New World, one Pilgrim says to another: “My immediate goal is religious freedom, but my long term plan is to go into real estate.”
The joke works because as every schoolchild learns, millions have come to these shores drawn by the promise of religious freedom – and once here, immigrants have used that freedom to build a free enterprise system that is the envy of the world.
That quintessential American spirit was on full display this week as the marketplace filled with everything from Thanksgivukkah cards to yarmulkes with Pilgrim belt buckles. My favorite Thanksgivukkah entrepreneur is the 9-year-old who came up with a turkey-shaped menorah called “Menurkey” and then got it funded through Kickstarter.
Beyond the fun and hype, however, is the vitally important causal link between freedom from oppression, especially in matters of conscience, and freedom to innovate and prosper. As one of the Thanksgivukkah t-shirts puts it: “8 Days of Light, Liberty & Latkes.”
Both holidays are rooted in stories about the struggle for religious freedom. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees in the 2nd century BCE over the army of a Syrian king who had profaned the Temple and outlawed Judaism. And Thanksgiving has its origins in 17th century celebrations by the Pilgrims of Plymouth who came to what is now Massachusetts seeking freedom from religious persecution.
But neither holiday marks a lasting triumph for religious freedom. Rome eventually conquers Jerusalem and re-subjugates the Jews. The Pilgrims and Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony do protect religious freedom, but only for themselves and not for others.
Not until Roger Williams founds Rhode Island in 1635 does religious freedom find a true and lasting home in America. Exiled from Massachusetts Bay for advocating liberty of conscience, Williams created the first society on earth that fully separated church from state and guaranteed free exercise of religion for all people.
Imagine the shock and amazement of the first boatload of Jewish families to land in Rhode Island. Unwelcome in most places, barely tolerated in others, Jews in Europe and the Americas had long suffered persecution and discrimination.
But when Jewish families reached Rhode Island in 1658, not only were they permitted to settle there – they were guaranteed complete freedom to practice their faith as full citizens of the colony.
Today, the twin principles of “no establishment” and “free exercise” essential for religious freedom in Rhode Island are enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, undergirding humanity’s boldest and most successful experiment in freedom of conscience.
Of course, we have often failed to live up to our own principles and ideals. Anti-Semitism persists, Islamophobia is on the rise, nativism keeps rearing its ugly head, and Native Americans are still asking when religious freedom will fully apply to them.
But this Thanksgivukkah we can be grateful – very grateful – that in a world torn apart by sectarian conflicts and ethnic divides, the United States stands out as a sign of hope that people can, in fact, live together with deep religious differences.
By the time Thanksgiving and Hanukkah converge again in 79,000 years (according to one estimate being bandied about on the Internet), the “Thanksgivukkah” trademark will have probably expired.
But if we keep working at it, the American experiment in liberty will long endure.
Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute.
GOP leaders shame themselves again
How disingenuous can you get? Rolling Stone has compiled a list of 10 Republicans in Congress who tripped over themselves this past week to say something nice about Miles Scott, 5, who was recently granted a Make-A-Wish dream of being Batman. The entire town of San Francisco rallied to help fulfill Scott’s dream to be a super hero. It was a great story, and anything that raises publicity for Make-A-Wish is a good thing in my book.
Yet, these 10 Republicans, including Eric Cantor and Ted Cruz, were among the same ones who symbolically voted no less than 43 times against a health care law that would have ensured kids, like Scott with preexisting conditions, got the coverage they deserve. Apparently, for some folks in the GOP ranks, the word “shame” no longer holds any meaning whatsoever because if they truly felt it, they would have long since retreated into their more deserving obscurity.
Young Bill O’Reilly hocks debunked JFK theory
The Bible Code unfurled
‘Creationist junk bonds’
Ken Ham is apparently up to his antics again. Now, he wants to build something called the Ark Encounter, which is essentially another Christian theme park that will be built, no doubt, in a similar vein as the intellectual abortion known as the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Ham, of course, uses a loose interpretation of the word, “museum,” but in any case, this new theme park will cost an estimated $74 million and about $25 million just to secure the contracts to get started.
If Ham and Answers in Genesis are actually successful in accumulating this much money for the project, so-called gospel-abiding Christians should be appalled. Of course, I would posit that there are actually very few gospel-abiding Christians anymore. The Jesus figure in the New Testament clearly had an issue with storing up wealth and even told his followers to sell all their things and follow him, and building income-grubbing theme parks seems completely antithetical to this cause.
I wonder how many mouths $74 million could feed. But no, church leaders and Christian apologists seem to be more interested in storing up wealth, treasure, ornate buildings and power here in this world. I wonder what that says about them and their faith.
To further wedge the spear in the side, Answers in Genesis has hatched an erroneous scheme to collect money by feeding off their ignorant supporters and offering what Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern termed, “creationist junk bonds.” As Stern noted, AiG found a loophole so that it could move Ark Encounter from a run of the mill limited liability corporation to a religious nonprofit organization. Similar to the problem of the United States employing publicly funded chaplains to serve military personnel, churches and religious nonprofits receiving tax breaks seems to take certain liberties with the First Amendment.
Here is the important bit from Stern:
In an executive summary sent to its supporters, Answers in Genesis makes the bonds sound like a decent investment. The group is offering bonds with 7-, 11-, and 15-year maturities, at yields between 5 and 6 percent. A 7-year bond starts at $250,000, while an 11-year bond begins at $50,000.
Tempting as those rates may seem, there’s a small catch. As Answers in Genesis readily admits, the bonds “are not expected to have any substantial secondary market” and are “not an obligation of AiG.” Somewhat alarmingly, the bonds are unrated, an indication that they’re extremely risky—and almost impossible to resell. High risk, higher yield: These, in essence, are creationist junk bonds.
The gospel of Who?
‘Free Willy’ decidedly unfree
For all its feel-good Hollywood charm, “Free Willy” was in fact a shamefully ironic movie since the whale that was used to tell a story about a freed orca was himself being held in captivity. His name was Keiko.
Although Keiko did not experience a terribly successful reintegration program, as he only lived about five years in the wild, pieces like the video below and the recent CNN special, “Blackfish,” continue to keep the issue of captive killer whales in the public’s conscience.
After watching “Blackfish,” one can’t help but feel equal amounts of sadness and anger that such social and emotive creatures essentially have their personalities lulled into robotism and isolationism so we humans can be entertained. SeaWorld, of course, claims it’s making important contributions in “education and science” by keeping orcas and other animals in captivity by, presumably, studying them, while at the same time failing to admit they are exploiting animals for profit.
For what it’s worth, SeaWorld officials would have helped their case mightily had they agreed to an on-camera interview with CNN to tell their side of the story. As “Blackfish” reports, SeaWorld refused multiple attempts at interviews.
For further reading, here is SeaWorld’s response to the film, along with some documents that supposedly show their instructive work at the parks.