While I deal with a recalcitrant computer, here’s some interesting links for you to read.
DanJ follows up on the “moderate theist” vs “fundamentalist” schism as touched on in my last post, and asks a number of uncomfortable questions of them.
Ben Stein got EXPELLED from the New York Times for being involved with that shady credit report scam company. My heart bleeds.
Chuck Norris apparently hates atheists for trying to change the fundamental nature of America, since both the pledge and the motto contain “God” — oh wait, both of those were changed less than 60 years ago, during the Red Scare.
Richard Dawkins has an interview with John Mackay. Mackay is a fundamentalist who has made up a series of lies and has been able to espouse them without paying a shred of taxes on his income for 20 years. Zdenny shows up in the comments to miss the point. Hilarity ensues.
Good news, everyone! There’s no such thing as atheism or secularism! We’re all just idolators! No more need for great rifts and differing approaches, now we can all just worship a golden calf or something.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, a huge survey of nearly 6000 people (that’s one for every year the Earth has existed!!1) shows that atheists and other freethinkers are more satisfied with life than religious folks. It is also covered here, where the focus is on our bright shiny Colgate smiles.
Also, here’s a tiny taste of the crazy that is waiting to be sampled over at the Creation Museum.
Update: Last minute addition to the reading list, Lou FCD had also weighed in on the “moderate theist” thread, started over at Almost Diamonds, for which my “obstacles” post from yesterday was a direct continuation. If I had known at the time that he’d posted this, I definitely would have linked it directly, because it’s incredible. I absolutely adore posts that make their points by linking individual words to examples from history, there’s something fun about ctrl-clicking as you’re reading to open each link in a new tab. Reminds me a bit of an advent calendar, only with civil rights activism as your candy.
