June 2012
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N. Dakota "Religious Liberty" Measure Sparks...
Next week, North Dakota voters will decide whether to add an amendment to the state’s constitution that supporters say will guarantee religious freedom. But the ballot measure has prompted debate over precisely what it safeguards; opponents argue that it’s a solution in search of a problem and worry about its consequences.
Measure 3 is worded this way: “Government may not...
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“The minute you get a religion you stop thinking. Believe in one thing too much...”
– Ray Bradbury - American fantasy, horror, science-fiction, and mystery novelist. Best known for his book Fahrenheit 451 which portrayed a futuristic world without the influence of literature. Many of Bradbury’s novels focus heavily on social criticism. Bradbury also served as an “idea...
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Vatican Intensifying Crackdown on American Nuns
The Catholic Church’s leaders think America’s nuns have gone rogue and must be reined in.
The Vatican on Monday censured Sister Margaret A. Farley, who teaches at Yale Divinity School, over a 2006 book she wrote that the church said is out of step with official church teaching on human sexuality.
Just weeks before, the Vatican issued a major report condemning the groups that represent most...
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“Every religion is true one way or another. It is true when understood...”
– Joseph Campbell - American scholar of mythology. Believed all religions and deities are “masks” of the same transcendent, “unknowable” truth, and have a common ancestry. His book The Hero with a Thousand Faces was inspired by James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake and in turn...
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Atheism to Defeat Religion by 2038
Countries with the best standard of living are turning atheist. That shift offers a glimpse into the world’s future.
The view that religious belief will give way to atheism is known as the secularization thesis. The specific version that I favor (1) is known as the existential security hypothesis. The basic idea is that as people become more affluent, they are less worried about lacking...
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A New Book for Dawkins
Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist, has moved to a new publisher for his next book, the story of his intellectual evolution and his work as an atheist. Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, said on Sunday that it had acquired the North American rights to Mr. Dawkins’s book, which is not yet titled.
Daniel Halpern, the publisher of Ecco, said in a statement: “We couldn’t be more excited to...
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But I'm a Good Mormon Wife
A great article suggested by greypoppies:
“I don’t believe in God,” my husband whispered in the darkness of our bedroom.
My breath caught, and I was afraid to look at him, this boy I met and married eight years ago.
I was only 19 on the day we were sealed for eternity, the wet snow blowing into our faces as we exited the Portland, Ore., temple. I imagined a life of Church service, my husband...
tobiasgh-deactivated20121011 asked: Hey pretty lady. So small world, but apparently one of your exes is my client. Jeremy Kaye. I was vague on how I know you "oh we used to write on the same blog together" but I was like whoooa wtf.
muffinw replied to your post: What’d you do for your bachelorette party?!
Oh that’s right, you’re from San Jose huh?
Yup! I live up in Sacramento now, but I visit San Jose pretty frequently. We should snag coffee sometime!
muffinw replied to your post: What’d you do for your bachelorette party?!
Excellent! And damn, wish I’d known you’d be in SF, or I would have crashed the party!
That would...
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Anonymous asked: If I'm not mistaken, you've had to deal with family members belittling your atheism as a "phase" that you will get over. I'm currently dealing with that sort of attitude from my parents, and it's making me feel frustrated and hurt; do you have any tips on how to react to it in a mature, productive way?
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Anonymous asked: I know I already asked this, but I forgot, where are you registered?
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muffinw asked: What'd you do for your bachelorette party?!
No hangover
And I had a great bachelorette party! I’ll be posting normally tomorrow, but today, humor me and ask anything!
Bachelorette Party!
I’ll be back Sunday, but I may post drunkenly tonight.
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46% of Americans are Creationists
And, of course, the poll found that education is associated with an acceptance of evolution.
Most Americans are not scientists, of course, and cannot be expected to understand all of the latest evidence and competing viewpoints on the development of the human species. Still, it would be hard to dispute that most scientists who study humans agree that the species evolved over millions of...
May 2012
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OK Rape Victim Denied Emergency Contraceptives:...
Doctors across the nation are now free to refuse medical care to women on the basis of their own personal beliefs. What follows is a particularly egregious application of these “religious conscience” laws, and underscores why women nationwide are standing up and fighting back:
An Oklahoma mother brought her daughter to a local hospital after she was raped only to be turned away and refused...
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An Atheist Wedding
With our wedding less than three weeks away, I thought I’d share bits and pieces of our atheist wedding ceremony! (I know that some of you have asked for suggestions for your own secular ceremonies.)
Our wedding is actually opening with a reading fromPale Blue Dotcombined with one of my favorite Sagan quotes at the end.
We succeeded in taking [a] picture [from deep space], and, if you...
