Happy IDD!

[dillon]

Celebrate heartily, those among us who boldly dare to put more faith in empiricism than in theology! And happy 207th, Charles Darwin!

http://darwinday.org/

RESOLVE TO EVOLVE!!!

[crfriend]

I especially like the comments regarding intellectual bravery and perpetual curiosity -- things that without which mankind would not have flourished in the way it has. Here's hoping we can now use those entirely admirable traits to better the world around us instead of raping it blind, which we do so at our peril.

[dillon]

The Darwin Day bumper sticker on my van was vandalized and rendered unreadable. Typical response from conervative fundamentalists, whose sole philosophy is to destroy anything that doesn't fit their belief system. Ignorance knows no restraint. American Taliban.

[moonshadow]

The Darwin Day bumper sticker on my van was vandalized and rendered unreadable. Typical response from conervative fundamentalists, whose sole philosophy is to destroy anything that doesn't fit their belief system. Ignorance knows no restraint. American Taliban.

Add something with a pentagram on it.... they seem to be scared of those...

[Judah14]

The Darwin Day bumper sticker on my van was vandalized and rendered unreadable. Typical response from conervative fundamentalists, whose sole philosophy is to destroy anything that doesn't fit their belief system. Ignorance knows no restraint. American Taliban.

Add something with a pentagram on it.... they seem to be scared of those...

So something like this (connotative of Russia or the former Soviet Union):

As for the vandals, haters gonna hate, but when they wreck your property...

[moonshadow]

So something like this (connotative of Russia or the former Soviet Union):

I was thinking something more like this:

BS-EBPROW-2T.jpg

Drive around with this on your bumper at 12:30 in the afternoon on a Sunday!

[Judah14]

So something like this (connotative of Russia or the former Soviet Union):

I was thinking something more like this:

BS-EBPROW-2T.jpg

Drive around with this on your bumper at 12:30 in the afternoon on a Sunday!

In the place where I live, people will just think you are a metal fan when you do that. Though we are generally conservative here, it's mostly "love and let live" except for the minority religious nuts.

[moonshadow]

Ha! Imagine that... around here we have "majority" religious nuts!

[dillon]

Ha! Imagine that... around here we have "majority" religious nuts!

I don't regard religious people as nuts to any more an extent than they regard me as a nut. Intolerance is a standard benchmark of fundamentalism of all religons. I am a believer; it is only theology that I have issues with. I suppose that like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Lincoln, I too am a cosmic deist. Christ reminded us that our faith was to be practiced and not exhibited for self-aggrandizement. Apparently none of the Godly Republicans on stage last night ever read that verse.

I was at a function of my alma mater alumni association last night, so had had access to cable in the hotel. I started to watch the debate, but quickly saw it was like the Three Stooges vs. the Marx Brothers, with Groucho stone drunk. So I watched the newest Mad Max movie instead. I understand the carnage was about equal. South Carolina rivals Illinois and New Jersey for dirty politics.

And I actually mourn the passing of "Nino" Scalia. I seldom agreed with him, but he had an intellect to be admired. I wish it had been Clarence Thomas who had kicked the bucket; Thomas is just a rubber-stamp dumbfuck. But par for the course considering the family lineage that appointed him.

[moonshadow]

I don't regard religious people as nuts to any more an extent than they regard me as a nut. Intolerance is a standard benchmark of fundamentalism of all religons. I am a believer; it is only theology that I have issues with. I suppose that like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Lincoln, I too am a cosmic deist. Christ reminded us that our faith was to be practiced and not exhibited for self-aggrandizement. Apparently none of the Godly Republicans on stage last night ever read that verse.

Yeah.... they think I'm crazy, I think they're crazy... the fact is, we're both probably right!

I'm not really sure if I'm the traditional definition of a "believer" whereas much of my theology seems to operate on assumption. Thus I "assume" there is something out there, and practice my "faith" to that end.... if nothing else it does put me at ease with the world around me to some extent. But unlike "beliefs", "assumptions" tend to be more fluid, and are quickly adaptable when new information is presented.

I supposed I could be pigeonholed as a sort of "agnostic that does occasional religious rituals"...

Or just a strange Wiccan.... which ever.

I'll just check the "OTHER" box....

[crfriend]

I don't regard religious people as nuts to any more an extent than they regard me as a nut. Intolerance is a standard benchmark of fundamentalism of all religons.

It's that fact that put me off the notion of organised Religion when I was about 7 or 8. At that time of my life an understanding of logic was starting to kick in, and the contradictions in theology -- sometimes internal, but mostly inter-religion -- made me really question all of them. At once. Logically, there was but one way out -- reject all of them. That really torqued my grandparents off, but at least my grandmother eventually came to respect my decision

So, I am, rather baldy put, an out-and-out atheist -- however, I am an atheist with a very strong sense of ethics and I hold myself to very high standards. That tends to baffle "the faithful", for I do not fear "judgement" in the "afterlife; the way I behave and comport myself in the here and now is by force of will. i cannot count the number of times that it's been observed that I am "such a good 'x'", and there's always a palpable sense of disappointment when the facts are revealed. I have also seen altogether too many individuals who have done astonishingly rotten things to their fellow man be "forgiven their sins in the name of god" (at least by the individual officiating at their funeral). That does not sit well.

And I actually mourn the passing of "Nino" Scalia. I seldom agreed with him, but he had an intellect to be admired.

History is replete with highly-intelligent folks who happened to be utter rotters and who did much to damage humanity and the human condition. I can respect the man for his intellect and love of opera, but as far as his mark on humanity is concerned I'll not miss his presence one lick.