12/12 European-style or American.
Trust me, I’m an atheist
We all know deeply religious people who cannot be trusted. They lie, they steal, they cheat on their spouses, they use others for their own profit. We all know of bloody wars fought between deeply, sincerely religious groups. We all know situations in which a religious majority has horribly abused, tortured, and persecuted a religious minority. We know this, yet we think they are good because god is watching. What incredible, hypocritical bullshit.
I especially resent the suggestion that I don’t have a moral code because I know there is no god, there is no immortal soul, and there is no afterlife. I value life more than many who think their reward comes later, especially if they die for their bloodthirsty god. If your moral code requires you to tolerate me, then we are fine. If your moral code makes you superior to me, makes you mistrust me, then to hell with your beliefs.
UBC study explores distrust of atheists by believers | e! Science News
Distrust is the central motivating factor behind why religious people dislike atheists, according to a new study led by University of British Columbia psychologists. "Where there are religious majorities — that is, in most of the world — atheists are among the least trusted people," says lead author Will Gervais, a doctoral student in UBC’s Dept. of Psychology. "With more than half a billion atheists worldwide, this prejudice has the potential to affect a substantial number of people."The researchers conducted a series of six studies with 350 American adults and nearly 420 university students in Canada, posing a number of hypothetical questions and scenarios to the groups. In one study, participants found a description of an untrustworthy person to be more representative of atheists than of Christians, Muslims, gay men, feminists or Jewish people. Only rapists were distrusted to a comparable degree. …
The researchers concluded that religious believer’s distrust — rather than dislike or disgust — was the central motivator of prejudice against atheists, adding that these studies offer important clues on how to combat this prejudice. …
The religious behaviors of others may provide believers with important social cues, the researchers say. "Outward displays of belief in God may be viewed as a proxy for trustworthiness, particularly by religious believers who think that people behave better if they feel that God is watching them," says Norenzayan. "While atheists may see their disbelief as a private matter on a metaphysical issue, believers may consider atheists’ absence of belief as a public threat to cooperation and honesty."
UBC study explores distrust of atheists by believers | e! Science News
Stunning kingfisher photos from Israel by the Birdchick
Dynamite Kingfishers Of The Hula Valley : Birdchick
One of the big highlights visiting the Hula Valley in Israel was all the kingfisher action. This is a pied kingfisher, about the size and shape of belted kingfishers but are all crazy black and white. [Copyright © Birdchick.]
Dynamite Kingfishers Of The Hula Valley : Birdchick
Follow the link to see more great photos of different kingfishers.
Stunning kingfisher photos from Israel by the Birdchick is a post from Ah, Wilderness! . Let me know what you think. peace, mjh
The view from Europe: Republican candidates are “ruining the reputation of the United States.”
A Commentary by Marc Pitzke
Welcome to the wonderful world of the US Republicans. Or rather, to the twisted world of what they call their presidential campaigns. For months now, they’ve been traipsing around the country with their traveling circus, from one debate to the next, one scandal to another, putting themselves forward for what’s still the most powerful job in the world.
As it turns out, there are no limits to how far they will stoop. …
It’s horrifying because these eight so-called, would-be candidates are eagerly ruining not only their own reputations and that of their party, the party of Lincoln lore. Worse: They’re ruining the reputation of the United States.
They lie. They cheat. They exaggerate. They bluster. They say one idiotic, ignorant, outrageous thing after another. They’ve shown such stark lack of knowledge — political, economic, geographic, historical — that they make George W. Bush look like Einstein and even cause their fellow Republicans to cringe. …
What a nice club that is. A club of liars, cheaters, adulterers, exaggerators, hypocrites and ignoramuses. "A starting point for a chronicle of American decline," was how David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker, described the current Republican race.
The Tea Party would take issue with that assessment. They cheer the loudest for the worst, only to see them fail, as expected, one by one. Which goes to show that this "movement," sponsored by Fox News, has never been interested in the actual business of governing or in the intelligence and intellect that requires. They are only interested in marketing themselves, for ratings and dollars.
Name that socialist
Obama’s Osawatomie offensive – PostPartisan – The Washington Post
“The true friend of property, the true conservative,” he declared, “is he who insists that property shall be the servant and not the master of the commonwealth; who insists that the creature of man’s making shall be the servant and not the master of the man who made it. The citizens of the United States must effectively control the mighty commercial forces which they have called into being.”
Obama’s Osawatomie offensive – PostPartisan – The Washington Post
That’s Teddy Roosevelt, a progressive who could not win any Republican vote today. Re-read that quote, substituting “corporations” for “property.” In fact, he was quite explicit about the threat corporation pose:
Obama’s Osawatomie offensive – PostPartisan – The Washington Post
TR, it’s fair to say, would be appalled by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which opened the way for corporations to spend vast sums in the political arena. In 1910, he declared: There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains. To put an end to it will be neither a short nor an easy task, but it can be done.
Obama’s Osawatomie offensive – PostPartisan – The Washington Post
I recommend you read the whole column by e.j. dionne.
Remember: a plethora need not be a surfeit, but a dearth is as bad as it sounds.
Throw away your thesaurus and learn more words the old fashioned way.
