One day I would love to be able to vote for a President who does not believe that the earth is 6000 years old and that a supernatural being materialized the Universe in seven days.
I mean, we give these guys nuclear launch codes!
I'm sorry if this offends some but this god bullshit really needs to disappear from our culture before humanity can truly begin to move to a higher level.
Most people would laugh their asses off (and be horrified) if a candidate for President expresses obedience and belief in Thor. What's the difference between Thor and all the other supers?
I was once called up for jury duty. When it came time to be sworn in for the initial selection I told the judge that I could not swear on the bible. He asked me why. I told him that I happen to know that the Principle of Conservation of Energy is true and that I could not, in good conscience swear on something that blatantly violates it in so many ways. He actually chuckled. I then offered that, if belief in the supernatural was a prerequisite to be selected into a jury I would gladly swear by Thor to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, etc. I told him that I like that story a little better because of the cool hammer.
I was respectfully excused. Ironic, being that they were after the truth.
But I digress, I agree with the fiscal conservatism of the Republican ticket but their hyper-religious bend and ridiculous social stance sure turns me off. Santorum is insane.
Really? Two beautiful animals will be killed because of a belief in the supernatural. If this is not the peak of absurdity I don't know what is.
Here's a statement from the article:
The eagle "flies higher then any other creature. It sees many things. It's closer to the Creator,"
It is a slippery slope to allow and tolerate this kind of thing. Supporting someone like Santorum, with values and ideas deeply rooted in the religious extreme, is yet one more step towards something we really don't want to see happen to this country.
> I happen to know that the Principle of Conservation of Energy
That is the most ironic attack on religion I have ever seen considering that the big bang was a huge violation of conservation of energy. (Science currently has no explanation for it. It may someday, but right now it's completely unknown.)
Religion actually affirms conservation of energy by saying the energy came from outside the system, and that the nature of this outside system is unknown.
The main difference is that Religion hold that the nature of this outside system will never be known, and Science holds that we may someday know it, but currently do not.
>the big bang was a huge violation of conservation of energy
Really? There you go! Solved! Thanks!
A few questions, since you seem to know it all (I certainly don't):
How does religion explain 250,000 people dead from a Tsunami in Indonesia?
Or, how about a similar number in Haiti?
Or, how about the six million Jews?
And the two million Armenians?
Darfur?
How about the 48 million people dead in WW2?
Or the 21 million in WW1?
And the 20 million dead during the great Chinese famine?
OK, so god is powerful enough to create the Universe in seven days and explain the big bang by a supernatural act of unimaginable proportions. Yet, he/it can't be bothered to at least save just the children of the aforementioned disasters and genocides?
But, he/it will help someone not loose their home, pass a final exam, hit the jackpot or win Suvivor because they prayed? While, at the same time letting a child die from cancer across town?
And he/it, while being ever-present, all-knowing, all-loving and omnipotent can't be bothered to stop hundreds of millions of his people from death, horrible illness, famine, genocide and, let's not forget being raped by priests. And, while we are on that subject, why haven't any of these priests been struck by lightning?
Either he/it doesn't give a shit or he/it is indifferent or he/it is petty and nasty and can't be bothered or he/it is not omnipotent or he/it is less powerful than the devil or...
Or better yet, he/it does not exist.
Please. Spare me the bullshit.
The thought of having someone like Santorum in the White House scares the crap out of me. Such ignorance is hard to fathom in this day and age.
> "Religion hold that the nature of this outside system will never be known"
Many religions claim to already know (some part of) the nature of whatever it is outside the physical universe. They just claim that the information comes from something other than observation of physical processes.
It's scary to hear stories of religious-extremism from Iran, but it's even scarier to hear them from the US as they have immensely more power to impose their rule on others.
I have no problem with religion, but please don't mix it with governance. Don't try to force everyone to live by the rules of your religion (or an arbitrary interpretation of your Holy Book). Especially not in their private lives. "Separation of religion and state" and "freedom of religion" used to be big issues, at least in Europe... These days, I don't know anymore.
My intent wasn't to start a flame-war on religion but to point out that certain belief systems are conducive to truly irrational decision making. I can be a little passionate about this. I am truly sorry if my post went a little too far.
Those who govern us have the power to do great good or great evil. It is my contention that a deep belief in anything supernatural should automatically disqualify someone from political office at almost any level. I did say "deep belief". The main reason I think that this is important is that those who are religious extremists are so invested in their belief system that they come to office with an agenda. And this agenda is not based on a reality, no matter how many people think otherwise.
I did say "religious extremists". My parents would describe themselves as believers. They'll never hurt anyone with or for their beliefs. They simply grew up at a time when that's what you did and that's what you believed. They just happened to be born somewhere where the local "team" believed in Christianity, they would have believed just as strongly in any other religion had they been born somewhere else.
A typical example of religious exremism is the extension of religious judgement onto the gay community. I'm not gay but have absolutely no problem with that community at all. Why? Because if I had a problem with that I'd have to have a problem with my kids having brown hair or long fingers. Why? Because it is a genetic mutation (not a pejorative, just fact) just like being born with blue eyes. Virtually nobody decides to be gay, they are born that way. They could have been born with green eyes just as well. Yet, the religious extremists will judge these people harshly and reject the evolutionary basis of the phenotypes they dislike. They'll pick something with no evidence of any kind against something that has mountains (literally) of evidence all around us. One of my favorite demonstrations of evolution is that my kids don't all look that same: mutation at work.
The Santorum doctrine is deeply rooted on religious beliefs. He is a religious extremist. Virtually nothing comes out of his mouth that does not have a foundation on his faith. That's why I think he is a dangerous man and sincerely hope he does not win the nomination.
This latest attack on porn is just an extension of that. I don't like porn. I think its demeaning and portrays an image of women that is simply grotesque. Few things change your mind more than having a daughter, of course. Having said that, I can't be on the side of restricting anyone's right to create or consume porn. That's their business and neither I nor government has any place in what they do with their private lives. Like it or not.
I do think it is OK to have community-based rules. I don't want the stuff on TV for my kids to see. They can't comprehend it and are not mentally prepared to deal with it. I'm not saying that the Federal Government ought to set these standards. It could be a States issue. That said, I'd rather keep government entirely out of it. The market can decide these kinds of things very efficiently. For example, if porn was available without any kind of access restrictions on my satellite service, I would cancel it. So would others. Very soon, if that satellite company wanted my business they'd implement a sensible way for me to decide what I want my family to be exposed to. That's the way it should work. I don't want Santorum or anyone to tell us what we can and cannot do based on his deep-rooted belief in the supernatural.
My courtroom example exposes an aspect of this country that is troublesome: If you don't profess belief in the same supernatural stories the religious majority pushes you can and are excluded from political life. I wonder how many Senators, Representatives and, in general, politicians are atheists who begrudgingly place their hand on the bible when they are sworn-in because, well, they have to.
Think about it. Views and stances like Santorums are no different than those of the extremist religion-based governments in the middle east we hear about every day. We don't want that here. If that means accepting others' freedom to make and use porn, so be it.
I mean, we give these guys nuclear launch codes!
I'm sorry if this offends some but this god bullshit really needs to disappear from our culture before humanity can truly begin to move to a higher level.
Most people would laugh their asses off (and be horrified) if a candidate for President expresses obedience and belief in Thor. What's the difference between Thor and all the other supers?
I was once called up for jury duty. When it came time to be sworn in for the initial selection I told the judge that I could not swear on the bible. He asked me why. I told him that I happen to know that the Principle of Conservation of Energy is true and that I could not, in good conscience swear on something that blatantly violates it in so many ways. He actually chuckled. I then offered that, if belief in the supernatural was a prerequisite to be selected into a jury I would gladly swear by Thor to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, etc. I told him that I like that story a little better because of the cool hammer. I was respectfully excused. Ironic, being that they were after the truth.
But I digress, I agree with the fiscal conservatism of the Republican ticket but their hyper-religious bend and ridiculous social stance sure turns me off. Santorum is insane.
Where is Joe Piscopo when you need him?