The fish rots from the head, the tail, and every place in between

Here’s an educational opportunity for everyone!

The Community College of Rhode Island [CCRI] has proudly announced that this fall, a “reiki master” will be holding a seminar on “crystal and mineral healing” at the college. This, we’re told, is

…a type of alternative therapy that involves laying crystals or gemstones on the body. Each student will experience a crystal therapy session and get a really good idea about how it changes your energy and rebalances you.

This instructor at CCRI also does “Cranio Sacral Therapy,” and uses such advanced quackery as “Bio Magnets,” “Light Life Tools,” “Dowsing,” and “Pendulums” She assures students that she is also a teacher and practitioner of many other alternative healing methods, and says that crystals have their own “intrinsic energy,” and will “interact with points on the body’s energy field, known as chakras, to promote balance and well-being.” “Each crystal has its own properties and attributes when laid on the body with a specific chakra,” she says. This collection of talents puts her well up in the tree with the top woo-woos, but she’s teaching at CCRI.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Colleges all over the place are peddling this nonense, and you can tell how administrators are thinking: it’s not about providing a good education, it’s all about what the students will pay for…and if they’ll pay for cheap, meaningless crap, so much the better for short-term profitability. Oh, and long-term damage to the school’s reputation? Let the next chancellor or president or board worry about that.

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A gay Australian poll

I don’t even understand why this is a matter for debate, but yes, Australians are also wrestling with the idea of legalizing gay marriage. It shouldn’t be an issue, but there it is. One thing particularly notable, though: a Catholic(!) MP spoke out clearly in favor of gay marriage.

But Catholic Labor MP Graham Perrett said he supported a change to recognise gay marriage because it would protect young gay people from abuse.

Mr Perrett, who has two gay brothers, said if the Marriage Act was to be changed over night he would not notice a change.

He said his Catholic faith was a “private matter” and he had no qualms about speaking out in support of gay marriage.

So many things said exactly right — he’s my favorite kind of Catholic.

There’s a poll. It’s mostly going the right way, but you can play with it if you’d like.

Do you support gay marriage?

Yes 68.09%
No 31.91%

No weirder than any other religious story

That Jesus guy sure got around. This is a sign in Shingo, Japan, where they claim that Jesus settled down after escaping crucifixion.

Here’s the story:

When Jesus Christ was 21 years old, he came to Japan and pursued knowledge of divinity for 12 years. He went back to Judea at age 33 and engaged in his mission. However, at that time, people in Judea would not accept Christ’s preaching. Instead, they arrested him and tried to crucify him on a cross. His younger brother, Isukiri casually took Christ’s place and ended his life on the cross.

Christ, who escaped the crucifixion, went through the ups and downs of travel, and again came to Japan. He settled right here in what is now called Herai Village, and died at the age of 106.

On this holy ground, there is dedicated a burial mound on the right to deify Christ, and a grave on the left to deify Isukiri.

The above description was given in a testament by Jesus Christ.

I like how Isukiri “casually” let himself be tortured to death.

I also wonder if the people of Shingo intentionally put up the sign to screw with Mormon missionary heads.

Marching on Europe

During the week of 17 September, the National Secular Society is organizing a series of events (in collaboration with other European secular societies) in a Secular Europe Campaign. They will be protesting the privileged status of churches, the political meddling of the Vatican, and faith schools, in support of secularism and state neutrality on religion, along with equal rights for everyone, regardless of their faith. It’s a good cause, I hope many of you take the time to participate.

They’ve made some promotional videos. I’m in one.

But I’m the weird American. Listen to Andrew Copson, head of the British Humanist Association.

Or the guy you’ll really pay attention to, Richard Dawkins.

We Americans will be following along. Remember also that we have the Reason Rally on 24 March in Washington DC!

I get email

So I hear you East-coasters had a little earthquake. I grew up near volcanoes, so I’m not too impressed, but OK, a little shakeup is interesting, and fortunately it sounds like no one was hurt.

But wouldn’t you know it, the crack team of cranks who have my email address reacted promptly with an explanation.

these earthquakes are a result of us sucking the oil from the earth, oil is supposed to be used as a lubricant for the earth not to fill our cars, I imagine these things will get worse and more common

There you go. It’s all everyone’s fault for driving around in cars and flying in airplanes.

I’m not impartial

Since I just made a defense of humanism, I should be upfront about my stake, since I did get recognized a few weeks ago by the International Humanist and Ethical Union. And as long as I’m mentioning my own award, I should also name all the other people who were also commended by the IHEU.

The Nordic Rainbow Humanists award was given to George Thindwa, who has been fighting for LGBT rights in Malawi against unbelievable bigotry and hatred.

There were several 2011 IHEU awards.

The Distinguished Service award was given to:

  • VB Rawat, who has been a leader in India fighting for social justice, working to bring aid to the poor and those afflicted by catastrophe, and who has been opposing the caste system.

  • Narendra Nayak, a tireless promoter of skepticism and science in India, who has worked to expose psychics and magic workers.

  • David Pollock has been an active secularist and editor of the New Humanist magazine, and has been a leader in the British Humanist Association in working for humanist social policies.

The International Humanist award was given to:

  • Sophie in’t Veld is the vice-chair of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, who has been a great supporter of women’s and LGBT rights.

  • PZ Myers, some guy with a blog.

One of these things is not like the others…

Humanism, or corporatism?

I am completely baffled by Michael Lind. He’s some think-tank scholar who regularly publishes in Salon, and somehow in all of his writings he’s managed to avoid clearly stating any principle he stands for. I understand he’s some kind of center leftist, he’s no fan of right-wing demagoguery, but then he publishes strange articles arguing that we shouldn’t mock Glenn Beck, or now, an article pissing on secular humanism. Why, I don’t know, and what he’d offer as an alternative is missing from his diatribe.

He has a peculiar view of the American condition, too. Apparently, the liberal/progressive element in the US is suffering from a “religious vacuum”, which he claims is being filled by three “new creeds”.

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