Yesterday, two people told me that “people are talking” that there will be an earthquake soon. It scared me. Am I ready for an earthquake? Maybe I should review the meeting spots. Maybe I should… Then it started to puzzle me. We just had an earthquake drill. No, that wasn’t it, one person assured me. It’s the weather. It has been rather humid here lately and that’s what the weather was like before the 1989 earthquake. I didn’t think to ask: How often has the weather been humid between now and 1989 and no earthquake happened? As I continued to … Continue reading »
A recent op-ed piece in the New York Times is a good example of the dangers of breaking down the wall of separation between religion and state. In their proposal of a compromise on gay marriage, David Blankenhorn and Jonathan Rauch, suggest that civil unions for same-sex couples “should appeal to cooler heads on both sides.” Especially, because they throw in a bizarre religious exemption: Basically, if a church doesn’t want to recognize the civil union, they don’t have to.
Jan 232009
Obama’s campaign was all about change. Presumably his presidency will be about this as well, if his first few days in office are an indication, there certainly will be quite a few things changing, for the better. But is this change fundamental enough? I suspect not. The financial crisis and the specter of climate change are clear reminders that our way of life is not sustainable. There is a limit to growth no matter what economists are trying to make us believe. We need to rethink our fundamental assumptions instead of calling on each other to defend our way of … Continue reading »
Jan 202009
Did you hear that President Barack Hussein Obama mentioned the unbelievers in his inauguration speech? He said: For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall … Continue reading »
Dec 262008
I’ve been puzzling over the claim that Christmas is now largely a secular holiday ever since I first read it (I can’t recall where but here’s an example). Secular means “denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.” Clearly, Christmas has a religious basis. If it weren’t for the claim of the Catholic Church that Jesus was born on December 25th, there would not be a Christmas (there would be other holidays but not Christmas). It does not matter that they usurped other holidays to do that. It does not matter that Jesus was very … Continue reading »
Dec 102008
On Human Rights Day, December 10, 2008, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 60! This document is a milestone in summarizing our rights as humans in one document that is entirely secular. Unfortunately, as Ken over at Open Parachute points out, it is increasingly under attack, especially freedom of expression is getting curtailed by “religious defamation” claims. By undermining the secular nature of the document, religious wrong proponents try to put religion on a pedestal where it can be neither criticized nor questioned. Clearly they know that upon close scrutiny there’s not much left in religion, so they have … Continue reading »
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