February 2012
138 posts
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Anonymous asked: Have you ever 'suspected' a student is atheist? I just think it's weird the little signals people send off.
eytancragg asked: that is really cool! what do you hope that your students gain from this trip?
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eytancragg asked: field trip???????????????? where are you going????????
Chaperoning a Field Trip
Leave me questions to answer later! I’ll need something to revitalize me!
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Boston Family Sues Over "Under God" In Pledge
One Acton family is waiting for a decision from the Middlesex Superior Court on whether the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance recited daily in the town’s schools.
The family, which has chosen to remain anonymous, says that part of the pledge discriminates against their children who they are raising as atheists.
This issue has come up before in other courts...
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bunny-warrior asked: One of my closest friends is Christian. I recently recounted my cousin's wedding, which was "offensively Christian" and uncomfortable for me. The sermon claimed that only Christian weddings were valid because people should marry not because they love each other, but because they love Christ and want to have children "in His service." My friend took the comment very...
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Anonymous asked: Have you watched any performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? They are amazing.
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A Second Oklahoma Bill Attacks Evolution and...
A bill in Oklahoma that would, if enacted, encourage teachers to present the “scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses” of “controversial” topics such as “biological evolution” and “global warming” is back from the dead.
Entitled the “Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act,” House Bill 1551 was introduced in the...
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P.S.
Anyone who would like to jump into the discussion can. I have a headache and I’m done dealing with religious folks who think that their rights override the rights of others.
Add me and enjoy the debate
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Fucking Passive-Aggressive Shit
Oh the joys of posting about the Catholic Church on my Facebook page. You know, I’m all for spirited debates, hell, I honestly don’t even mind debates that are sometimes a bit edgy.
But I really cannot stand passive-aggressiveness. A few minutes after I made a valid point against a friend who defended the Catholic Church, she posts a status stating that, “Tolerance is a two...
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carakalikimaka asked: Have you seen or heard music from the Book of Mormon?
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““The government isn’t telling religious people do things they think...”
– zucchini_tush - Reddit
Brilliant commentary. Absolutely spot on.
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Anonymous asked: RANDOM NOT-SO-INAPPROPRIATE QUESTION: In you opinion, in a thousand years, who will be seen as a greater charlatan: Joseph Smith, or L. Ron Hubbard?
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Anonymous asked: How about facts about islam? And untrue stereotypes as well! (we can ask some of your ex-muslim followers for that!)
Religion And Politics Don't Mix, Major Religious... →
On Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation League, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Interfaith Alliance released a “statement of principles” on religion in political campaigns that calls on candidates vying for office to feel comfortable explaining their religious conviction to voters but also warn that “there is a point when an emphasis on religion becomes inappropriate and...
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bunny-warrior asked: So, on Earth, people get one spouse. In the afterlife, people have multiple spouses to make a myriad of spirit-babies? How many levels of the afterlife are there? Are post death marriage ceremonies and procreation described in detail?
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atheistbiblestudy asked: Maybe this is too personal, but do you struggle with any sexual guilt as a result of your indoctrination even now that you are an atheist?
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weaselatnature asked: Can you give us a fact about Mormonism that's really not well-known, or a popular assumption/stereotype that's actually untrue?
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astrotastic asked: Were you actively and frequently told to repress sexual thoughts? If so, what affect did that have on you?
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noitsprianka asked: I am in love with philosophy. The practice of philosophy helped liberate me from religion, opened my eyes to new ideas, and made me into a better person. However, I am studying philosophy now in college and am increasingly losing "passion" in the study because I am unable to fully grasp the ideas/concepts of philosophers such as Leibniz, Spinoza, Descartes, etc. I don't know if you...
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Reviving Ex-Mormon Monday
I’m taking questions for Ask an Ex-Mormon Monday, which will be answered tomorrow!
Submit your ask now! Any non-related questions will be answered tonight! Help distract me from grading =)
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“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good...”
– Steven Weinberg - American theoretical physicist; 1979 Nobel winner for discovering the unity of the atom’s electromagnetic force and weak force. Criticizes religious conservatism for standing in the way of scientific inquiry and religious liberalism “for reducing theology to vacuousness in...
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Anonymous asked: How would I get my parent to understand that I don't believe in their God or anything they believe in for that matter? I've tried explaining it to them, but they still don't understand.
heavenlyfatherlolz asked: Jesus in ya inbox! Just letting ya now I created the world and evolution is false. Have a blessed day.
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Evolution: Fact of Science, Not Theory
“Keep your mind open, kids, it is possible that the earth doesn’t revolve around the sun. It could be the other way around!” Can you imagine any teacher saying this in a public school classroom? As ridiculous as it sounds, it is as inappropriate as saying, “Keep your mind open kids, it is possible that the theory of evolution is wrong. We could be the product of creationism!”
Although...
shaylashaylashayla24 asked: You are amazing. Thank you for all your helpful information. (:
gimmethecassshhh asked: i've never been curious about what crazy shit mormons do... But that little snippet about how bizarre the pre-wedding ceremonies left me wanting more... What do they do?
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fuckyeahtopher asked: Fun fact: I had to break up with an ex-boyfriend who was Mormon after he told me what Mormons do and believe in regards to weddings and marriage. The fact that we're both men made it seem even more ridiculous that he still wanted a Mormon wedding.
Anonymous asked: What happens in the temple during a wedding that non morman can't see.
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There Is No War on Religion
As ever, Newt Gingrich minced no words. “I understand that there’s a war against religion,” Gingrich told the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody last week, “and I am prepared to actually fight back.” In the same conversation, Gingrich claimed that most journalists simply could not understand people of faith given the media’s purported secularism. And so Gingrich’s “war” goes on.
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mulattoalbinomosquitolibido asked: Please ignore my last question. Whoever said that Wallace discovered natural selection 20 years before Darwin has it mixed up. Darwin was developing his theory of evolution by natural selection for 20 years prior to 1858. Wallace came up with his theory (which was very similar - but not as developed as Darwin's) in the late 1850s.
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Darwin and Wallace
Darwin began formulating his theory of natural selection in the late 1830s but he went on working quietly on it for twenty years. He wanted to amass a wealth of evidence before publicly presenting his idea. During those years he corresponded briefly with Wallace (right), who was exploring the wildlife of South America and Asia. Wallace supplied Darwin with birds for his studies and decided to...
Anonymous asked: I feel like that last comment severely misrepresented Darwin. As far as I'm aware, both Darwin and Wallace developed a theory of natural selection separately. Evolution was a concept that preceded both of them, Darwin did not steal that, he found the mechanism that explained it.
quite-quiet-confidence asked: About Darwin stealing Wallace's work. False. Wallace did develop the theory around the same time as Darwin but didn't want to publish it for fear of being humiliated as he had NO data to back it up. Darwin, who had immense amounts of data to back up the theory, was told by Wallace to publish it.
bunny-warrior asked: Wallace actually came up with the idea of evolution 20 years prior to Darwin. He didn't present his idea right away because of how drastically it contradicted the notions of the time, and he wanted to get as much evidence as he could to support it before presenting the idea. He told Darwin about his idea, and Darwin took all the credit.
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Evolution, Creationism and Our School System
The month of February is quite special in the history of science.
In fact, February qualifies to be called science history month. February 12 is the birthday of late British scientist, Charles Darwin.
On this date or around it, a global celebration of science and reason is staged. It is called the International Darwin Day.
According to the initiators of this very important festival, the...
tobiasgh replied to your post: So if the only people who go to hell (according to Mormonism) are those who joined the faith and then left it. So wouldn’t it be better to not try and get more followers? Wouldn’t it be better to have people not join the religion than risk them leaving at some point in the future and ending up in the Outer Darkness?
Like their insane beliefs about the after...
Anonymous asked: So if the only people who go to hell (according to Mormonism) are those who joined the faith and then left it. So wouldn't it be better to not try and get more followers? Wouldn't it be better to have people not join the religion than risk them leaving at some point in the future and ending up in the Outer Darkness?
blaufisk asked: I keep getting this mental image of the Mormon Hell just being this big cafe where everyone drinks coffee and soda for all eternity.
lorichtimes asked: I understand your feelings, and I respect them. However, this is one of those situations that you just can't control, so there's no reason to let it add to your daily stress. I find one key in life is to have my stress level be inversely proportional to my level of control in a situation.