tagged w/ beliefs
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If you thought you had less than three perfectly healthy months to live, what would you do? Would you travel? Spend time with loved ones? Appreciate the joy life has given you?
Or would you ditch your kids and grandkids, join strangers in a caravan of RVs and travel the country warning people about the end of the world?
If you're Sheila Jonas, that's exactly what you'd do.
"This is so serious, I can't believe I'm here," says Jonas, who's been on the road since fall. Like her cohorts, she's "in it 'til the end," which she believes is coming in May.
She won't talk about her past because, "There is no other story. ... We are to warn the people. Nothing else matters."
Such faith and concern drove her and nine others, all loyal listeners of the Christian broadcasting ministry Family Radio, to join the radio station's first "Project Caravan" team.
They walked away from work, families and communities in places as far-flung as California, Kansas, Utah and New Jersey. Among them are an electrician, a TV satellite dish installer, a former chef, an international IT consultant and a man who had worked with the developmentally disabled.
They gave away cars, pets, music collections and more to relatives, friends and neighbors. Some items they kicked to the curb. In homes that weren't emptied, clothes are still hanging in closets, and dishes, books and furniture -- including one man's antique collection -- are gathering dust. Unless, of course, they've been claimed by others. If you believe it's all going to be over soon, why would it matter if you close the front door, much less lock it, when you walk away?
(lots more at link)If you thought you had less than three perfectly healthy months to live, what would... more
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Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit and author of "The Biology of Belief" comments on the past 10 years, and shares his thoughts about what is to come next in our evolution.Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and... more
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In her ground-breaking study of human identity in the age of the Internet (Life on the Screen), Sherry Turkle reports that numerous computer users she has interviewed talk of their online experience in spiritual terms. In these narratives people tell her that computer networks "resonate with our most profound sense that life is not predictable. They provoke spiritual, even religious speculations." She cites one interviewee who concludes: "To me, it's God coming together with science, and computers have made it all possible." http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/10505-the-internet-as-a-metaphor-for-godIn her ground-breaking study of human identity in the age of the Internet (Life on the... more
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worrg
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1 year ago
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It's a common conceit among Christians that their religion was in opposition to the Nazi regime of Germany. The truth, however, is that most Christians either went along with the Nazis or actively supported them. Just about the only Christian group that opposed the Nazis - and paid for it - were the Jehovah's Witnesses. How many other Christians supported them? http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/393-resistance-to-hitler-It's a common conceit among Christians that their religion was in opposition to... more
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worrg
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Pat Robertson, a popular Southern Baptist evangelical preacher, said that the tragic Haiti earthquake of January, 2010 was a consequence of Haitians’ pact with the devil a few centuries ago.“[Haitians] were under the heel of the French,” remarked Robertson “You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.’ True story. And so, the devil said, ‘Okay it’s a deal.’ ” http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/392-satan-bargainPat Robertson, a popular Southern Baptist evangelical preacher, said that the tragic... more
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worrg
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Shake off those physical chains and become the god you were meant to be! This video by The Thinking Atheist provides a look at the history and philosophy of the popular mind-control cult known as Scientology.Shake off those physical chains and become the god you were meant to be! This video by... more
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CARMEL, Ind. -- A family has filed suit against Carmel Clay Schools after they said a bus driver was caught on tape berating their daughter about her religious beliefs.
Edward Zimmer said bus driver Betty Campbell harassed and caused emotional distress to his middle school daughter, Rachael, in November of 2008, 6News' Renee Jameson reported.
He said the incident began during a ride home from school when his daughter told another student that she would never vote for President Barack Obama because of her anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage beliefs.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/23675312/detail.htmlCARMEL, Ind. -- A family has filed suit against Carmel Clay Schools after they said a... more
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In the clash of cultures between the West and Muslim world, few battles have been more fiercely fought than the one raging in Europe today over the burqa. The burqa, or full-face veil, was the law for women in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and is still worn these days in the more conservative parts of the Middle East, as well as in Europe, raising questions about how far liberal democracies should go in tolerating such dress codes.
Belgium gave an answer Wednesday when parliamentarians backed a draft law that would ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa in public places. The Justice and Home Affairs Committee voted unanimously to endorse the move, which must now be approved by parliament for it to become law. Such a vote is expected by the end of April, which would make Belgium the first European country to implement a ban. Because of the support for the measure among all the main political parties, it is likely to pass.
The draft law would make it illegal to wear clothing that covers all or part of the face, which would also include the facial veil known as the niqab. Defying the rule could lead to nominal fines of $20 to $35 or possible imprisonment for up to seven days. Proponents say they're targeting the burqa not because of its religious symbolism or even because it is widely seen in the West as a sign of male oppression, but rather for safety reasons: they say that people who hide their faces represent a security risk. In that light, the law also seeks to target potentially violent demonstrators who cover their faces, backers say.
But the bill's chief sponsor, Daniel Bacquelaine of the liberal Reformist Movement party, admits that cultural considerations have also come into play. "In an open society, we need common values and we need equal rights and duties," he says. Bacquelaine estimates the burqa is worn by only a few hundred of Belgium's 630,000-strong Muslim population, but the numbers have been rising in the past decade. "It has become a political weapon," he says. "There is nothing in Islam or the Koran about the burqa. It has become an instrument of intimidation, and is a sign of submission of women. And a civilized society cannot accept the imprisonment of women."
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1977350,00.htmlIn the clash of cultures between the West and Muslim world, few battles have been more... more
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KSirys
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1 year ago
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Sugar pills, injections of nothing -- studies show that, more often than you'd expect, placebos really work. At TEDMED, magician Eric Mead does a trick to prove that, even when you know something's not real, you can still react as powerfully as if it is. (Warning: This talk is not suitable for viewers who are disturbed by needles or blood.)Sugar pills, injections of nothing -- studies show that, more often than you'd... more
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Just in case you think I think that christians comprise the only wingnut cult in the world, think again. Thanks to the aggressive policing policy of the mormon cult, it's not so easy to find videos that describe what they are about, but I finally managed to get to one video before the mormon thought police did, so you should watch this before it disappears (as its predecessors have).Just in case you think I think that christians comprise the only wingnut cult in the... more
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It's Sunday morning once again, and thus, it's time for a reality check. This time, let's play a little game; The Conspiracy Game!It's Sunday morning once again, and thus, it's time for a reality check.... more
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Religion might be viewed by some as the modern dancing disease. Others might view it as a way to increase their physical fitness.Religion might be viewed by some as the modern dancing disease. Others might view it... more
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This funny video is from atheist comedian Ricky Gervais's live stand-up show, Fame. In this clip, he discusses the Bible and religion.This funny video is from atheist comedian Ricky Gervais's live stand-up show,... more
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This amusing video is from the television show, Argumental. In this third season episode, two comedians engage in a serious debate: Marcus Brigstocke argues FOR while Rory McGrath argues AGAINST the topic, "Religion Has Had Its Day."This amusing video is from the television show, Argumental. In this third season... more
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This astonishing video sets out to prove that being a Christian requires constant thinking, while being an atheist sheep does not. This explains why atheists are the dumbest people God ever created!This astonishing video sets out to prove that being a Christian requires constant... more
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A hardcore atheist finds God when he wasn't even looking for God. It's a touching story with a happy ending.A hardcore atheist finds God when he wasn't even looking for God. It's a... more
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http://sidhere.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/outsite-the-ego.jpg
Religious people tend to use their own beliefs as a guide in thinking about what God believes, but are less constrained when reasoning about other people's beliefs, according to new study published in the Nov. 30 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.http://sidhere.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/outsite-the-ego.jpg
Religious people tend... more
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"If Friday the 13th is unlucky, then 2009 has been an unusually unlucky year. But your luck is about to change. Today is the last of three Friday the 13ths to endure this year.
The other two were on in February and March. Such a rare triple-threat occurs only once every 11 years.
The origin of the link between bad luck and Friday the 13th is murky. The whole thing might date to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune. In modern times, the superstition permeates society.
Here are five of our favorite Friday-the-13th facts:
1. Fear of Friday the 13th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.
2. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor and some airline terminals omit Gate 13.
3. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.
4. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12." Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.
5. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.
Pythagorean legacy
Meanwhile the belief that numbers are connected to life and physical things — called numerology — has a long history.
"You can trace it all the way from the followers of Pythagoras, whose maxim to describe the universe was 'all is number,'" says Mario Livio, an astrophysicist and author of "The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved" (Simon & Schuster, 2005). Thinkers who studied under the famous Greek mathematician combined numbers in different ways to explain everything around them, Livio said.
In modern times, numerology has become a type of para-science, much like the meaningless predictions of astrology, scientists say.
"People are subconsciously drawn towards specific numbers because they know that they need the experiences, attributes or lessons associated with them, that are contained within their potential," says professional numerologist Sonia Ducie. "Numerology can 'make sense' of an individual's life (health, career, relationships, situations and issues) by recognizing which number cycle they are in, and by giving them clarity."
However, mathematicians dismiss numerology, saying it lacks any scientific merit.
"I don't endorse this at all," Livio said, when asked to comment on the popularity of commercial numerology. Seemingly coincidental connections between numbers will always appear if you look hard enough, he said."
What do you think about Friday the 13th?
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/091113-friday-the-13th.html"If Friday the 13th is unlucky, then 2009 has been an unusually unlucky year. But... more
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