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Academic (e.g., Science)
Feb 7, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAn Unprecedentedly Thorough Evolution Experiment - The Atlantic
After almost a decade, Barrett, Hoekstra, and their colleagues had shown that darker-furred mice were more likely to survive on the soils of Wild Bill’s alfalfa farm, while lighter-furred individuals thrived against the whiter sands of a nearby park. They found that these variations in fur color depend heavily on mutations in one particular gene. They uncovered exactly how one of these mutations changes the color of a mouse’s hair.
0 comments
General & Hellos
Feb 14, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Hair Dress, Frosty Bison, Bajadasaurus Pronuspinax - The Atlantic
For your viewing pleasure.
0 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Feb 14, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKOn secularism, conversion & nature of religion
FTA: Such an expanded debate could possibly shed light on why for most of the about to conclude millennium we were a conquered nation. It is over a thousand years since Mohammed bin Kasim conquered the Sind. Thus paving the way for a succession of Arabs, Persians, Turks, Uzbeks, Mongols, Portuguese, French and the English to invade and rule parts, if not all, of this country. In the process, we even became the only nation to be conquered by a private commercial enterprise — the East India ...
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Politics
Feb 16, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAbolishing Civil Rights at the National Prayer Breakfast - TheHumanist.com
FTA: Pence may pray as Trump preys, but regardless of their personal beliefs, both men continue to advance an agenda that threatens the civil rights of large swaths of the American populace. And this includes those of minority faiths, atheists, humanists, agnostics, and the religiously unaffiliated.
1 comment
Family & Parenting
Feb 17, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK20 years, 700 victims: Southern Baptist sexual abuse spreads as leaders resist reforms - Houston Chronicle
It's not just a recent problem: In all, since 1998, roughly 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers have faced allegations of sexual misconduct, the newspapers found. That includes those who were convicted, credibly accused and successfully sued, and those who confessed or resigned. More of them worked in Texas than in any other state.
1 comment
Love & Relationships
Feb 20, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKLots of Love: Exploring Polyamory in Portland - TheHumanist.com
FTA: In her experience, Benham found she was unable to truly embrace her sexual desires until she went through her apostasy, which was a long process beginning in her mid-twenties. “I feared being ‘out’ as poly, kinky, and pansexual because I wasn’t ‘out’ as a humanist, and my business as a health practitioner depended on continued clients from the religious community,” she recalls. “The shadow of purity culture is far-reaching.”
0 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Feb 21, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKWhy did an ancient Egyptian king erase all gods but Aten? | Aeon Essays
FTA: The main reason I reject the theory of one religion impacting the other is that each one is based on its own theophany. The Lord God appeared to Moses at the burning bush in Sinai and revealed his name, Yahweh, according to Exodus. Akhenaten had his own divine encounter that gave rise to Atenism. Put another way, both religions stand on their own distinctive revelations.
2 comments
Family & Parenting
Feb 25, 2019Feb 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKDrag queen story hour in America's Bible Belt - BBC News
FTA: The library, being a public institution, is bound by the First Amendment of the US Constitution which enshrines the right to free speech in law. In a statement, library officials told local media that "meeting spaces are available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of the individuals or groups requesting their use".
0 comments
Music, Movies & Books
Mar 1, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKFrom the Slaughter - TheHumanist.com
FTA: In 1958 another calamity occurred, when his sister died of cancer just thirty-six hours after her husband was killed in a train wreck, leaving Vonnegut and his wife, Jane, to raise three more children in addition to three of their own. He fought off depression even when his writing career soared. Eventually, it did soar. Along with it came duties and benefits for Vonnegut such as serving as honorary president of the American Humanist Association for the last fifteen years of his ...
0 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 2, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Tank Slippers, Baby Sifaka, Molten Steel - The Atlantic
I really liked 30 the super moon in Greece.
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Health & Happiness
Mar 4, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKWhy do a quarter of people across the world believe humans have psychic abilities? | The Independent
FTA: So it seems that despite occurrences of fakery, forgery and fraudulence – as well as mixed evidence – people will still continue to believe in psychic phenomena. Indeed, research has shown that one in three Americans feel they have experienced a psychic moment – and nearly half of US women claim they have felt the presence of a spirit. [youtu.be]
1 comment
General & Hellos
Mar 5, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKNigeria’s undercover atheists - Vanguard News Nigeria
"There are several stories from folks living in fear for their lives because they don't believe in some deity. This is just one of them." FTA: Bala attracted media attention in 2014 after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Kano by his parents when they found out he was atheist. He says his father and uncles held him down for 30 minutes and forced him to take medications given by the psychiatrist, who told him “everyone needs God”.
0 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Mar 7, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKSmokers’ corner: Secularisation without secularism
FTA: “Secularity 2” is largely a social occurrence triggered by powerful intellectual currents and a shift from traditional modes of economics to modern ones. The most prominent example in this respect is the erosion of the power of the church in Europe during the Age of Enlightenment from the 18th century onwards. The period saw the advent of constitutional democracy, modern science, industrialisation and the separation of the church and the state. It saw reason as being the primary source ...
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Silly, Random & Fun
Mar 7, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe Comics Section: Hypocrisy and Explosive Pardons - TheHumanist.com
0 comments
Health & Happiness
Mar 9, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKMaking Sense Podcast 149 - The Problem of Addiction | Sam Harris
In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Sally Satel about addiction. They discuss whether addiction should be considered a disease, the opiate epidemic in the U.S., the unique danger of fentanyl, the politicization of medicine, PTSD, and other topics.
0 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 9, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Night Surfing, Burning Moorland, Trapped Rat - The Atlantic
For your viewing pleasure.
0 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 9, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK30 Best Photos From The Sony World Photography Awards 2019 | Bored Panda
More photos......
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Religion & Spirituality
Mar 13, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe Beast in the Shadows Behind Religion | James Haught
FTA: Human sacrifice. Jihad holy wars. Torturing and burning women as “witches.” Massacring religious minorities such as Jews, Anabaptists and Baha’is. Castrating small boys to keep their voices golden for castrati cathedral singing. Suicide bombing to murder “infidels” of rival faiths or no faith. Killing “blasphemers” who question supernatural dogmas. Torturing “heretics” to make them admit deviant beliefs, then burning them at the stake. Civil wars between opposing ...
0 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Mar 14, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK150 - The Map of Misunderstanding
FTA: March 12, 2019 In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Kahneman at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. They discuss the replication crisis in science, System 1 and System 2, where intuitions reliably fail, expert intuitions, the power of framing, moral illusions, anticipated regret, the asymmetry between threats and opportunities, the utility of worrying, removing obstacles to wanted behaviors, the remembering self vs the experiencing self, improving the ...
0 comments
Politics
Mar 14, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK“Narrow Rulings” Mean Little to the Christian Right - TheHumanist.com
FTA: It would be a mistake, however, to assume that such a ruling, allowing the cross to stay but highlighting its age as a key reason, would impede the installation of new crosses. History shows that when courts open the religion door an inch, the Christian right will kick it open as wide as possible at the local level, ignoring the nuances of any judicial ruling and welcoming religion into public life far beyond the limits expressed by the underlying court ruling. If there is any decision ...
1 comment
News & Links
Mar 15, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKInside the Secret Sting Operations to Expose Celebrity Psychics
FTA: the internet has popularized a new kind of “hot reading,” in which the psychics come to their shows prepped with specific details about various members of the audience. One new source of psychic intel is Facebook, which has become a clearinghouse for the kind of insider, personal detail that psychics used to have to really sweat for. If anything, “the psychics have just gotten lazier,” a team member told me.
0 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Mar 17, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKDr. Michael Shermer — The Problem of Evil (Science Salon AMA 4) - YouTube
In this Ask Me Anything, Dr. Michael Shermer performs a postmortem on his debate/dialogue on with Dr. Brian Huffling at the Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday February 23, 2019. The specific topic was: “Is the Reality of Evil Good Evidence Against the Christian God?” [youtu.be]
0 comments
Politics
Mar 18, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKRoe v. Wade Is under Threat: What Will We Do About It? - TheHumanist.com
FTA: If (or when) the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision is overturned, the responsibility to regulate abortion care will fall to the states. And many states are already taking action in anticipation of that reversal. Last month Arkansas became the most recent state to pass a “trigger law”—a bill that automatically outlaws most abortions the moment Roe v. Wade is overturned. The bill, SB 149, passed the state House of Representatives 72 to 20.
0 comments
Politics
Mar 19, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKSupreme Court poised to save the Bladensburg Cross (commentary) - silive.com
FTA:The transcript of the oral arguments before the Supreme Court is available on the court's website and strongly suggests that at least six Justices will vote to save the Bladensburg Cross. The only Justices certain to dissent are Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, while Justice Elena Kagan appears to be on the fence. The Justices generally telegraph their feelings about cases by the questions they ask. In this case, those feelings for the most part were readily discernible.
0 comments
Silly, Random & Fun
Mar 20, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe Comics Section: Changing Norms & We'll Always Have (The) Paris (Accords) - TheHumanist.com
HA HA HA
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Religion & Spirituality
Mar 21, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPope meets with Mormon leadership in Rome to dedicate temple - Religion News Service
FTA: Nelson and the 14 elders who make up the leadership of the church, widely known as the Mormons, are in town for the dedication Sunday of their new temple. The lush complex features an oval-shaped marble house of worship crowning a hilltop and a visitor center featuring a larger-than-life marble statue of Christ surrounded by smaller statues of the apostles.
5 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 22, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKGet Excited! The 78th Annual AHA Conference Is Virtually around the Corner - TheHumanist.com
FTA: Session speakers will include our friends and allies from progressive organizations across the country and around the world. Noelle George, executive director of Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB), will join a panel discussing philanthropy and humanism. Dr. Madhvi Potluri will be joining us from the South Asian Humanist Association (SAHA) to discuss humanist issues around the existing caste system. Kevin Bolling, executive director of Secular Student Alliance (SSA), will help us prepare for ...
0 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Mar 22, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThis Is Why The Multiverse Must Exist
FTA: If you have an inflationary Universe that's governed by quantum physics, a Multiverse is unavoidable. As always, we are collecting as much new, compelling evidence as we can on a continuous basis to better understand the entire cosmos. It may turn out that inflation is wrong, that quantum physics is wrong, or that applying these rules the way we do has some fundamental flaw. But so far, everything adds up. Unless we've got something wrong, the Multiverse is inevitable, and the Universe we ...
3 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 23, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Hudson Yards, Birdman Rally, Cat Yoga - The Atlantic
Please enjoy
0 comments
Silly, Random & Fun
Mar 24, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe Comics Section: Tolerance and Blockbusters - TheHumanist.com
0 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 24, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKGoogle, Facebook, Others Must Do More To Police Online Pseudoscience
FTA: Other digital platforms like Facebook are exploring ways to block misinformation and cut off revenue streams for users who post anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. YouTube, for example, disabled ads on “anti-vaxx” channels so that those users cannot profit from advertising. But Pinterest, with its latest action, has taken by far the biggest step toward shutting down posts that contain anti-vaccine recommendations. I applaud any online company committed to protecting visitors from false...
0 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Mar 24, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKWhy is life the way it is? Michael Faraday Prize Lecture - Dr Nick Lane - YouTube
The Royal Society Published on Feb 2, 2017 Dr Nick Lane explores the importance of energy flow in shaping life from its very origins to the flamboyant complexity around us, and asks whether energy flow would direct evolution down a similar path on other planets.
0 comments
Politics
Mar 25, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKRules Are for Schmucks: Omar, Tlaib, and Dual Loyalty - TheHumanist.com
FTA: For all this to happen because the United States, the great hope of Enlightenment values, politically and economically props up a gang of foreign God experts is not just wrong, but nuts. That’s what Omar and Tlaib need to concentrate on, without getting lost down the rabbit hole of what does or doesn’t motivate their opponents. I suppose it’s possible to characterize the apartheid charge, which even former President Jimmy Carter has endorsed, as anti-Semitic. Some Israel defenders ...
1 comment
Politics
Mar 26, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKOn the Hill: Equality Act Introduced to End LGBTQ Discrimination - TheHumanist.com
FTA: Assuming that Democrats get the sixty votes to end a filibuster and fifty-one votes to actually pass the legislation, they would then need to deal with President Donald Trump, who has made his opposition to LGBTQ equality well known through religious freedom executive orders and his ban on transgender service members in our military. This is all to say that while the Equality Act is a truly important piece of legislation, it has a long way to go before becoming an enforceable law.
0 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Mar 28, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK152 - The Trouble with Facebook A Conversation with Roger McNamee
In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Roger McNamee about his book Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe. Roger McNamee has been a Silicon Valley investor for thirty-five years. He has cofounded successful venture funds including Elevation with U2’s Bono. He was a former mentor to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and helped recruit COO Sheryl Sandberg to the company. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at ...
1 comment
Academic (e.g., Science)
Mar 28, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKFossil Treasure Trove of Ancient Animals Unearthed in China The fossils from the Cambrian Period include dozens of new species and provide a window into life more than 500 million years ago
The fact that the Qingjiang Biota is about the same age as the nearby Chengjiang Biota, but contains many previously unknown species, indicates that the Cambrian hosted more unusual organisms than paleontologists previously imagined. The diversity of life at the time could be a signal of a much earlier flurry of evolutionary activity that gave rise to many new species preserved at sites like Qingjiang and the Burgess Shale.
2 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 31, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKFirst Annual Atheist Day with Aron Ra - YouTube
I just love this guy! ♥ AronRa Published on Mar 26, 2019 March 23 2019 was the first ever Atheist Day, and I was part of the celebration going on at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The idea was suggested by Atheist Republic and has since become a thing. Video recorded by Alan Kozeluh and Lilandra Ra.
0 comments
General & Hellos
Mar 31, 2019Mar 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Underwater Restaurant, Holi Colors, Wonderland Eurasia - The Atlantic
Have fun!
1 comment
General & Hellos
Apr 5, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKBBC - Future - Are we close to solving the puzzle of consciousness?
FTA: From these axioms, Tononi proposes that we can identify a person’s (or an animal’s, or even a computer’s) consciousness from the level of “information integration” that is possible in the brain (or CPU). According to his theory, the more information that is shared and processed between many different components to contribute to that single experience, then the higher the level of consciousness.
1 comment
General & Hellos
Apr 14, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKHarvey Fineberg: Are we ready for neo-evolution? | TED Talk
From The Video: Medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg shows us three paths forward for the ever-evolving human species: to stop evolving completely, to evolve naturally -- or to control the next steps of human evolution, using genetic modification, to make ourselves smarter, faster, better. Neo-evolution is within our grasp. What will we do with it?
0 comments
General & Hellos
Apr 15, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe real reason the Mueller report is about to become public - Palmer Report
FTA: While William Barr and the usual suspects among House Republicans will rant and threaten counter-investigations, the report is coming. The only real choice is whether Republicans want it all out at once or at a gradual drip by drip of leaks, which for Donald Trump may be the most torturous option. If he’s acting demented now, who knows what he’ll be ranting about in a week or two? Already, the GOP is trying to distance itself from him in 2020 and the national conversation about his ...
1 comment
Politics
Apr 17, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKHearing on climate change and national security becomes an angry partisan clash - CNNPolitics
FTA: Republicans repeatedly used the hearing to criticize the Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal proposal. Hagel repeatedly pointed out that the hearing wasn't about the bill, but Kerry took the opportunity to defended the proposal and criticized Trump's leadership on the issue. "We all have differences on one piece of legislation or another," Kerry said. "But in proposing what she has proposed together with Sen. (Ed) Markey, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has in fact offered more leadership in one ...
0 comments
General & Hellos
Apr 20, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Inflatable Astronaut, Presidential Field, Falcon Heavy - The Atlantic
Hello. Here are some more photos of our world. What a view.
0 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Apr 20, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK“Humanism with Horns”: Hail Satan? Film Review - TheHumanist.com
FTA: Like the Baphomet statute, these efforts are responses to Christian indoctrination and monopoly over public spaces. Shoulder to shoulder against traditionally religious conservatives in America, the Satanist and the humanist are not just reluctant allies but enthusiastic comrades in rebellion against the Christian notion of a deity. In Paradise Lost, God is the authoritarian bully. And in the Temple’s version of the Genesis myth, Satan, lobbyist for freedom and access to knowledge, ...
2 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
Apr 28, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKScientists Didn't Really Find The First Molecule In The Universe
FTA: "This molecule was lurking out there, but we needed the right instruments making observations in the right position — and SOFIA was able to do that perfectly." Helium hydride was long thought to be the first molecule in the Universe, but we'd never been able to detect its natural presence in space before. At long last, we have proof of its existence, and with it, further confirmation of our picture of how the Universe came to be the way it is today.
0 comments
General & Hellos
Apr 29, 2019Apr 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK"America First" All over Again? - TheHumanist.com
FTA: It isn’t as if the slogan “America First” is some dark incantation against progress. But the economic forces and political impulses behind the AFC were similar to the forces and impulses behind Trumpism. 
The two share the same enemies: immigrants, liberals, organized workers, redistributionists, and “hyphen-Americans.” And the same desire: a world of capitalist hierarchy and social domination— as economist Lewis Corey described in 1935, a world where “the hierarchical ...
0 comments
General & Hellos
May 1, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKShould Computers Run the World? - with Hannah Fry - YouTube
Hannah Fry takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us. She lifts the lid on their inner workings, to demonstrate their power, expose their limitations, and examine whether they really are an improvement on the humans they are replacing.
4 comments
General & Hellos
May 1, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAstrobiologists In Search of a Breakthrough Researchers consider the frontiers of life at an annual conference in Berkeley. Read more at
FTA: Benner went on to present a new, far-reaching hypothesis claiming that the first life form on Earth probably originated as an RNA-based cell about 4.36 billion years ago, because only at that time did Earth’s atmosphere have the right chemistry for life to originate. [youtu.be]
0 comments
General & Hellos
May 4, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos: Climate-Change Protests Around the World - The Atlantic
Protesters look the same the world over.
0 comments
General & Hellos
May 10, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKXiahe jaw - How We Found an Elusive Hominin in China - SAPIENS
FTA: The Xiahe mandible is complete enough to now revisit the rich Chinese hominin fossil collection and identify other fossils as Denisovan, even without DNA evidence. I have no doubt that in the future the sequencing of ancient proteins will complement these morphological analyses. But the most extraordinary aspect of our findings, in my opinion, is the demonstration that such archaic hominins could successfully live in this challenging high-altitude environment, more than 120,000 years ...
0 comments
Politics
May 13, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAndrew Seidel: The Founding Myth - YouTube
TheThinkingAtheist Streamed live on May 10, 2019 Andrew Seidel is author of the new book, The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American ([amzn.to]. He speaks with Seth Andrews and takes listener calls.
0 comments
General & Hellos
May 15, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKLess Than Half in U.S. Would Vote for a Socialist for President
FTA: Among religious identities, more than nine in 10 Americans say they are willing to vote for a qualified Catholic or Jewish candidate, while smaller majorities say they are willing to vote for an evangelical Christian (80%), a Muslim (66%) or an atheist (60%). Meanwhile, Americans are nearly universally willing to vote for a black (96%) or Hispanic (95%) candidate -- and the same is true for their willingness to vote for a woman (92%). More than three in four say they would vote for a gay...
4 comments
Academic (e.g., Science)
May 24, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe Climate is Always Changing | NeuroLogica Blog
FTA: From The Article: A systematic refutation of these bad arguments requires a book, and there are many good resources out there, but I just want to focus on one argument in this article – the notion that the climate is always changing. This, of course, is true. It’s simply not a refutation in any way of the scientific position of anthropogenic global warming. This is one of the many positions of the deniers. First they will argue that the climate is not changing. When the evidence for ...
2 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
May 24, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKDr. Christian List — Why Free Will is Real: Response to Harris, Coyne, and Other Determinists - YouTube
FTV: Philosophers have argued about the nature and the very existence of free will for centuries. Today, many scientists and scientifically minded commentators are skeptical that it exists, especially when it is understood to require the ability to choose between alternative possibilities. If the laws of physics govern everything that happens, they argue, then how can our choices be free? Believers in free will must be misled by habit, sentiment, or religious doctrine. Why Free Will is Real ...
0 comments
General & Hellos
May 29, 2019May 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPoll: 12 percent of Americans support new laws promoting Bible in public schools | TheHill
FTA: In a Hill-HarrisX survey released Friday, just 12 percent of Americans supported the idea of offering classes in Bible history that do not also teach about other religious books or atheist literature. A third of respondents, 33 percent, said states should require schools to offer new history classes on all major religions, with a little over half of that group — 17 percent of the total sample — saying the class topics should also include the history of atheism. Nineteen percent of...
5 comments
General & Hellos
Jun 3, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKWhy politics may kill white churches - Religion News Service
FTA: This paints a bleak portrait for American religion. The one group that is positioned to attract young people and people of color is aging and shrinking, and the other two Christian groups are moving in the opposite political direction of the youngest generation, which is politically and racially more diverse. All the while, black born-again Protestants are now 20% more likely to identify as Democrats in the last decade. And though 60% of Hispanic born-again Protestants claimed a ...
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jun 3, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe preachers getting rich from poor Americans - BBC News
FTA: For followers, it is a way to make sense of sickness and poverty. It can feel empowering and inspiring amid despair. The hard-up donors are often not oblivious to the preachers' personal wealth - though they may not know the extent of it - but they take the riches as a sign of a direct connection with God. If seed payments have worked for them, maybe they can work for you too? And if the seeds never flourish? Some are told their faith is not strong enough, or they have hidden sin. In ...
1 comment
Silly, Random & Fun
Jun 4, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAron Ra vs the Dreaded "Actually, Plus Unfounded Assertion" Defense - YouTube
Atheist Edge Published on Jun 24, 2018 Recorded at a protest at First Baptist Church Dallas on 24 June 2018, in response to Pastor Robert Jeffress' sermon "America is a Christian Nation".
1 comment
Academic (e.g., Science)
Jun 6, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKBipedality - Unraveling the Mystery of Human Bipedality - SAPIENS
FTA: Which step was more important in our evolution: bigger brains or bipedality? Bipedality Paleoanthropologist Carol Ward excavates at a field site. Courtesy of Carol Ward Clearly, what is the most unusual, distinctive feature of humans today is our incredible and amazing brain. Our brains can do things that other animals on this planet have never even come close to doing. It gives us culture and language—and all those things that really make us distinctive today as a species. But the...
2 comments
General & Hellos
Jun 7, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKConnect : Server Error 500
06/07/2019 6:00 AM PDT 2019 Annual Conference - Day 1 Live streaming now
0 comments
General & Hellos
Jun 20, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKJordan Peterson’s Bullshit
FTA: Peterson does not speak for what is “normal.” His jargon of authenticity — that he is just a simple academic fighting for truth amid so much political correctness and censorship — masks his authoritarian ideas. He calls Marxism a “murderous ideology,” but his paranoid and conspiratorial politics are hard to distinguish from the alt-right’s denunciations of cultural Marxism. Indeed, the line between Peterson’s authoritarianism and Richard Spencer’s paleo-Nazism is a blurry ...
3 comments
General & Hellos
Jun 22, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Mammoth Swing, Stanley Cup, Frog Wedding - The Atlantic
I hope you enjoy these.
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jun 23, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINK2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest | National Geographic
Ton of photos. The lightning and Rhinos is my favorite, so far.
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jun 23, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKScience Uprising: A New Case Against the New Atheists Comes to YouTube
The outright fallacies are numerous in this video. See how many you can spot. [youtu.be]
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jun 28, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKSohrab Ahmari and the Rise of America's Orbánists - The Atlantic
FTA: The rapidity of that cultural shift, though, should not obscure the contours of the society that the religious right still aspires to preserve: a world where women have no control over whether to carry a pregnancy to term, same-sex marriage is illegal, and gays and lesbians can be arrested and incarcerated for having sex in their own homes and be barred from raising children. The religious right showed no mercy and no charity toward these groups when it had the power to impose its will, but...
0 comments
General & Hellos
Jun 29, 2019Jun 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Kangaroo Boxing, Royal Ascot, Moon Pool - The Atlantic
I enjoyed these, but 35, the last one was kinda heartbreaking to see.
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jul 5, 2019Jul 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKWorker threw exception | | Cloudflare
FTA: They hope to cleanse their membership of theological diversity, and assert top down control of conscience questions, replenishing their membership with anti-feminist, pro-natalist policies and proselytizing in the Southern hemisphere. But the more they resort to strict authoritarianism, insularity and strict interpretation of Iron Age texts, the more people are wounded in the name of God and the more people are outraged. By making Christian belief an all-or-nothing proposition – they ...
0 comments
General & Hellos
Jul 7, 2019Jul 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Mermaid Parade, Scarlet Sails, Moss Man - The Atlantic
Some more photos from around the globe.
0 comments
General & Hellos
Jul 8, 2019Jul 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKIs Being Gay Wrong? - YouTube
I ♥ DarkMatter 2525.
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jul 10, 2019Jul 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKDebate: Is Christianity Dangerous? - YouTube
AronRa Published on Jun 28, 2019 Aron Ra vs Michael Jones, AKA Inspiring Philosophy.
2 comments
General & Hellos
Jul 25, 2019Jul 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKCounting down toApollo 11
Some extras this week. I turned 18 and graduated high school that June. Where were you?
1 comment
General & Hellos
Jul 28, 2019Jul 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKDerren Brown: Mentalism, mind reading and the art of getting inside your head | TED Talk
Just WOW!
2 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Aug 1, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKWhat is Faith - YouTube
AronRa ♥ Published on Jul 31, 2019 Believers try to pretend that their erroneous assumptions of subjective evidence mean their faith is not in independent of evidence, despite every definitive source always saying that it is.
1 comment
General & Hellos
Aug 5, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKWhy do you believe faith depends on evidence? - YouTube
AronRa♥ Published on Aug 4, 2019 I'm interviewing Eric Hernandez, who said that I got the definition of faith wrong. Like all Christian apologists, Eric is pretty hard to listen to. Poor Aron had to repeat himself numerous times.
3 comments
General & Hellos
Aug 10, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Vegas Grasshoppers, Poultry Inspection, Eagle Eyes - The Atlantic
There sure is a lot going on in this world. Please enjoy these photos.
1 comment
General & Hellos
Aug 12, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAtheism in America: misunderstandings, explained - Vox
FTA: The number of people who do not believe in any god has been on the rise in recent decades. According to the Pew Research Center, close to a quarter of the population identifies as a so-called “none,” up 7 percent from 2007 to 2014. About 10 percent of all Americans say they are atheists, although this estimate may be on the low side. Given our growing numbers, it’s important for non-atheists to understand what it means for someone to not believe in any god. Here are just a few things ...
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General & Hellos
Aug 16, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAfter You Die, These Genes Come to Life - The Crux
But while this discovery opens up new possibilities for medical science, the biggest question posed by the research—why some of our genes activate after we die—remains a mystery. Noble thinks clues may lie in the kinds of genes that are reanimating. Though none of the zombie genes seem to make any physical changes after death, many of them are related to activities that are normally closely regulated or inhibited. This includes the gene that tells cells to produce the beginnings of a spinal ...
1 comment
Philosophy & Meaning
Aug 17, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAgainst Literalism—'The Satanic Verses' Fatwa at 30 - Quillette
This is a recap, from the article: The Satanic Verses is therefore not only a work of astonishing beauty but also a foundational document in the fight for culture, openness, civilization, and civility against those who wish to see those things stifled by narrow-minded faith-based puritanism. Salman Rushdie’s life and work remind us of the importance of this battle and the necessity of remaining staunch and unyielding in the task of defending civilization against its enemies in whatever ...
2 comments
General & Hellos
Aug 20, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKShura interview: ‘God can’t hate the gays – I was blessed by the Pope’ | The Independent
FTA: God can’t hate the gays. Both me and my twin brother are raging homosexuals.” Ever since that holy encounter, the 28-year-old has been fascinated by religion. She even considered, despite being a “staunch atheist”, studying theology at university, “It’s all being interested in humans and how we f things up,” she shrugs. “Oh great, let’s create a perfect image of a woman who also happens to be a virgin and a mother, which is physically impossible, and then for all ...
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General & Hellos
Aug 24, 2019Aug 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKPhotos of the Week: Sky Glider, Ice Swimmer, Cave Basketball - The Atlantic
I liked the pygmy hippos♥
2 comments
General & Hellos
Sep 11, 2019Sep 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKThe magic of Vedic math - Gaurav Tekriwal - YouTube
1 comment
General & Hellos
Sep 16, 2019Sep 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKAtheism vs illogic - YouTube
AronRa This is a response to a couple of videos made by the Christian channel, Atheism vs Logic. By the way, here is another headline I forgot to add: "Life’s First Molecule Was Protein, Not RNA, New Model Suggests"
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General & Hellos
Sep 16, 2019Sep 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKHow Mythology Disproves Noahs Flood - YouTube
AronRa In this video, I sourced TalkOrigins' list of flood myths told around the world. [talkorigins.org]... And also "Noah's Ark and the Ziusudra Epic: The Sumerian Origins of the Flood Myth". [amazon.com]...
1 comment
Sam Harris Fans
Oct 9, 2019Oct 2019

Posted by zblaze
171 - Escaping a Christian Cult A Conversation with Megan Phelps-Roper In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper about her book Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro ...
2 comments
Sam Harris Fans
Oct 22, 2019Oct 2019

Posted by zblaze
October 21, 2019 In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Andrew Marantz about his book Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation. They discuss the ...
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Philosophy & Meaning
Oct 26, 2019Oct 2019

Posted by zblaze
LINKSuch a Voice Is Needed: The Humanist Interview with Salman Rushdie - TheHumanist.com
I found this very interesting.
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Politics
Dec 12, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
God’s Plan for Mike Pence - The Atlantic
Scott Pelath, the Democratic minority leader in the Indiana House of Representatives, said that watching Pence vouch for Trump made him sad. “Ah, Mike,” he sighed. “Ambition got the best of him.” It’s an impression that even some of Pence’s oldest friends and allies privately share. As one former adviser marveled, “The number of compromises he made to get this job, when you think about it, is pretty staggering.” Of course, Pence is far from the only conservative Christian to ...
4 comments
Politics
Dec 12, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Church Militant: A Right-Wing Media Empire in the Making - YouTube
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Politics
Dec 12, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Roy Moore: Will this outsider make Trump eat his words? - BBC News
1 comment
Politics
Dec 13, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
How religious groups are responding to the Masterpiece Bakeshop Supreme Court case - Vox
If the Court rules in favor of Phillips, it would be a huge blow to LGBTQ civil rights laws — and not just in the context of bakeries. It could also open a legal path to anti-LGBTQ discrimination in multiple settings, from the workplace to housing, by letting business owners — even in states where such discrimination is prohibited — cite their religious beliefs to discriminate. At the same time, it’s worth remembering that should the Supreme Court find against Phillips, they may ...
3 comments
Religion & Spirituality
Dec 14, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Why we are supposed to trust the consensus of a field that is based on experts who refuse to read their own peer reviewed literature and never actually respond to it, is still not explained. Yet “we should always believe the consensus” is his ...
Hurtado claims “this is why the view has no traction among scholars”: “It’s not because scholars are gullible or lazy. The view just doesn’t stand up to critical scrutiny.” Yet, all Hurtado demonstrates is gullibility and laziness. He just trusts things he hasn’t confirmed; I caught him making several claims that are demonstrably false, and that he’d know were false if he bothered to check. And he is too lazy to go and read the actual literature to know if it’s sound. Even ...
2 comments
Politics
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Masterpiece Cakeshop, “religious liberty,” and the culture wars - Vox
The idea that “religious liberty” is a mere cover for bigotry is misguided. The existing law of accommodation already contains within itself the resources to reject the claims that most trouble the left. The broader attack on religious liberty is inconsistent with the aspiration to have a society that is broadly hospitable to diversity. Deep disagreement about moral fundamentals is nothing new; it is what religious diversity consists of. That ought to include disagreement about such ...
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Health & Happiness
Dec 15, 2017Dec 2017

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

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

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

Posted by zblaze
Born to be Wild (Senior Citizen's Version) - YouTube
1 comment
Politics
Dec 16, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Beyond the Johnson Amendment: More Reasons for Humanists to Worry about the Tax Bill - TheHumanist.com
Congressional Republicans’ contempt for secular public education is on full display. The Senate version of the bill includes an amendment introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) allowing parents to use tax-free college savings accounts to pay for private school tuition. A similar provision exists in the House version. Nearly eight-in-ten students attending private schools and about seven-in-ten private schools are religious in nature, most of these Christian. Our elected officials are making it ...
2 comments
Philosophy & Meaning
Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
The Wisdom of Reza Aslan’s God: A Human History - TheHumanist.com
As he relates in the history of Israel’s “first successful experiment with monotheism,” such an evolution might also come about as the result of a “profound disruption” to preexisting belief systems. The elements of such a disruption are on the verge of combustion in the Middle East now, where three nuclear states—the US, Russia, and Israel—warily maneuver around each other in Syria. Iran, now one year away from becoming a nuclear state, is preparing a military campaign to ...
1 comment
Academic (e.g., Science)
Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
Is Psychology a "Self-Correcting" Science?
Why is this important? One of science’s great claims to special status and credibility is that it is “self-correcting” – i.e., that when new data comes in showing something that conflicts with scientific conclusions, scientists supposedly change their conclusions. Except that, too often, they do not, at least not very easily. The accepted scientific wisdom does change, but usually because new scholars take up the correction, not because the old guard “self-corrects.” Think I am ...
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Religion & Spirituality
Dec 17, 2017Dec 2017

Posted by zblaze
PROOF Religion Compromises Moral Judgement (Dan Barker) - YouTube
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