Charlatans in Charge

India's 'Godmen' Face Questions About Wealth

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Very interesting insight into the Hindu guru's who very strikingly seem to resemble the Jerry Falwells, Rick Warrens and Billy Grahams of the Christian sect here in the U.S. Why is it that these religious charlatans always seem to be the ones with all the money as well???  Pushing god can be a VERY profitable business and these guys are laughing all the way to the bank as these poor souls cough up their hard-earned money in exchange for salvation in an after-life that these preachers don't know any more about than they do. Very sad...

Here's a clip of Sai Baba doing his 'miracles'...

kinda reminds me of this kind of stuff you see with evangelicals...

Dark Energy Confirmed

Astronomers Probe Matter in Early Universe

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Cool article confirming the existence of dark energy through gravitational lensing of early light and radiation from near after the big bang. Pretty exciting, but still leaves us wondering what the heck it actually is and where it comes from and why it does what it does. What is this mysterious force that's pushing the universe apart at faster and faster rates?

It Gets Way Better

Wow, what a testimony of his life... very moving and inspirational. It does get better when you leave your faith behind and embrace the real truth, it gets way better

The New 10 Commandments

The New Commandments

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New Martian Rover Curiosity

Test Roving NASA's Curiosity on Earth

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NASA's next mars rover is scheduled to launch near the end of the year, landing on Mars sometime next summer. It is bridled with all sorts of cool new technologies and tools to examine a new area of the martian surface. Everyone is up in arms with the shuttle program coming to and end today, but there is still plenty of cool scientific space exploration happening!


Cool Slideshow of the Rover

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cool time-lapse of the preparation for the last shuttle flight, Atlantis that launched today

Koran Curious

'Koran Curious' (A Guide for Infidels and Believers)

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This looks like a very interesting read. A pretty ballsy book by CJ Werleman, who also writes the 'Rationalists's Blog' (link to the left of the screen). He has posted a few sample pages of the book and they are very intriguing. I recommend you check them out!

Deep-Seeded Roots

A Former Jerry Falwell Minion Discusses Child Indoctrination

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This is something I will grapple with when I have children as well. What to teach them without going overboard, allowing them to critically think for themselves and problem solve to root out solid, rational solutions of their own. Religious indoctrination discourages critical thinking and dissent. If you disagree or question, that is the devil speaking. I feel for the children who have been sheltered in a religious bubble, knowing nothing of the real world they live in, the realities, the differing thoughts on wide varieties of subjects. I fear for them because eventually they will be exposed to the good and the bad of the real world and unfortunately are not prepared for it. In many ways they can be over trusting of others and can be taken advantage of easily, but they also can have developed such deep-seeded one-sided beliefs that they cannot properly co-habitate with people of differing values and opinions. You see this happening right now with the evangelicals and marriage equality as well as with women's rights and abortion. You see this with the muslim extremists as well, they cannot accept someone has a different faith from them and move on, they have to be enemies. If we don't start respecting others in a meaningful way, there will be very serious consequences, and it starts with how we teach our children...

Fairness

Thirst for Fairness May Have Helped Us Survive

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Cool article talking about how our egalitarian tendencies for fairness helped us become as successful as we have been as a species. Interesting timing with the "class warfare" going on right now on capital hill with tax breaks for wealthy and cuts in social welfare programs... I consider myself a humanist at heart. While I have a desire to be successful and earn enough to provide for my family and allow for some indulgences to enjoy life, I have no desire to be what most people consider to be "wealthy". I believe in fairness and sharing and finding ways to encourage those who don't have the means to be able to rise up and achieve despite not having the resources on their own. That's why these government programs are so important. The opportunity is just not there for some people, and it's in the interest of the "tribe" to see that as many of it succeed as possible to better us all. While we do need leaders and entrepreneurs to be the "tribe elders", we need to keep them in check so they don't become too wealthy and too powerful that we lose sight of the fundamental goal: long-term human well-being and survival on this fragile planet.

Independence Day

Common Sense - by Thomas Paine, Feb 14, 1776

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"O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia, and Africa, have long expelled her. Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind." - Thomas Paine, Common Sense


Today is a day to reflect on those braves souls who dared stand up against the tyranny of oppressive government. It was a tremendous series of escalating events and feelings that led the colonies to declare independence from Mother England and set up the first government elected by the people. The United States are the beacon for all of mankind that human freedom and dignity are inalienable rights of all men and women. While there are some who still wish to impress their values on the rest of the nation, I am so grateful to live in such a free society compared with the rest of the world. I think of the current Arab Spring and their revolutions against their corrupt monarchies and dictatorships. The common theme is people long to be free. This is common sense. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. This is what we all require to live free. The freedom to speak your mind, the freedom from religious oppression, the freedom to elect your own government, the freedom to be able to improve your situation, and the recognition that your neighbors have those same freedoms are all things I will be thinking about today as we celebrate 235 years since our nation's independence.


Happy Independence Day!

In the Service of the "Truth"

Miracle Claimed for WWII Era Pope

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The pressure is on to sanctify Pope Pius XII. This is the same guy who was complicit with the Nazi regime during WWII and whose church preached anti-semitism until 1962. This lady claims to have been cured of cancer by praying to Pius, but also having undergone intensive chemotherapy to treat it. How is this a miracle? I can understand she is ecstatic to be alive and no doubt feels her prayers may have helped, but this is insanity. No one person has the ability to alter the fundamental laws of the universe. No one has ever had this ability. Do the odds favor that a miracle has occurred or that this person has been mistaken? She should be praising the doctors for healing her! And the technological advancements in cancer treatment for healing her! Stupid catholic church, this type of meddling may have worked before scientific literacy, but in the 21st century it will be pretty hard to prove a "miracle", and to Pius the XII of all people you want to sanctify? Come on

Please enjoy this great discussion on the glory of the catholic church by christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry...