Another of Sam illuminating talks. It doesn’t really matter to me what one’s concept of the God or the Afterlife is…it really only matter that to live in and experience the present; it would also be wise to not close off one’s mind to all possibilities even the possibility of the non-existence of both God and an Afterlife…just be an open vessel.
I am an avid reader of all things Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. I totally enjoy their frank and clear point of view regarding religion, philosophy and meaning of life. Here Sam gives a pretty good laydown on how much we waste time always hoping for future when we never get to meet it.
Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, the Iranian Christian cleric facing death for the crime of apostasy against an Islamic faith he never held, has been given a temporary stay of execution. Iran’s top judge, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, instructed presiding Judge Ghazi Kashani to delay carrying out capital punishment for a year in order to give time for Mr. Nadarkhani to recant Christianity and become a Muslim.
The Iranian regime may be responding to international pressure. Mr. Nadarkhani’s case has become a prominent cause for the religious-rights community. His story was first reported by Christian and Iranian dissident websites, then by Western media outlets. On International Human Rights Day, Dec. 9, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on “every government to release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally, including Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly [a Vietnamese Catholic priest], and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo [dissident writer in prison in China].† Continue reading by clicking source link…
Source: Washington Times
My Comments:
Again, I am blown away by this all or nothing approach of religion. Â A few days ago, it was the terribly upsetting act by the “central” Sunni Islamic state of Saudi Arabia, in the execution of one of its citizen for the practice of witchcraft… Â Can you believe that witchcraft. Â At the very least ex-communicate her, send her away, but killing her. Â Now here we go again with the “central” Shia state of Iran, getting ready to execute a man because he professes Christianity. Â Aren’t Christians, like Jews people of the book, according to Islamic scriptures? Â Then what is this all about. Â Again, why not excommunicate him and send him away? Â Why would God or any god for that matter require such a sacrifice? Â This is disturbing. Â This is not to say that this blatant and callous approach to humanity is limited to the Islamic faith; it is no secret that is can be found well beyond the borders of these two countries. Â My heart breaks with these stories…
A woman was beheaded in Saudi Arabia for practicing witchcraft and sorcery, the kingdom’s Interior Ministry said, prompting Amnesty International to call for a halt in executions there.
Amina bint Abdel Halim Nassar was executed Monday for having “committed the practice of witchcraft and sorcery,” according to an Interior Ministry statement. Nassar was investigated before her arrest and was “convicted of what she was accused of based on the law,” the statement said. Her beheading took place in the Qariyat province of the region of Al-Jawf, the ministry said. Click source link below to continue reading…
Source: CNN
My Comments:
I rarely make negative comments about religion in specifics, but sometimes I just cannot help myself. This is such a dark and ass-backwards act. It is actions such as these that cement in my mind the absolute absurdity of some religious values. How can one be so certain about his faith that he would take the life of some one else in serving that end. It makes no friggin’ sense whatsoever…no sense. Wherever she goes beyond this earth, won’t be too far from these clowns.
THE Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was to be dedicated on the National Mall on Sunday — exactly 56 years after the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi and 48 years after the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (Because of Hurricane Irene, the ceremony has been postponed.)
These events constitute major milestones in the turbulent history of race and democracy in America, and the undeniable success of the civil rights movement — culminating in the election of Barack Obama in 2008 — warrants our attention and elation. Yet the prophetic words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel still haunt us: “The whole future of America depends on the impact and influence of Dr. King.â€
Continue by clicking the Source below –
Source: New York Time
My Comments:
The Prez is definitely not being coddled by once supporters. Â Dr. West continues to speak the truth and has not minced words on the shortcoming of the Prez. Â I am not as fervent a supporter of Tavis since his break over two years ago, but I can understand more and more his position on things. Â Â
During George W. Bush’s presidency, many liberal and secular Americans came to regard religious conservatives not merely as their political opponents, but as a kind of existential threat. The religious right, they decided, wasn’t a normal political movement. Rather, it was an essentially illiberal force, bent on gradually replacing our secular republic with what Kevin Phillips’s 2006 best seller dubbed an “American Theocracy.â€
These anxieties dissipated once the Republican majority imploded. In the Obama era, debates over the economy and health care crowded out arguments about sex education and embryo destruction, and liberals found a new set of right-wing extremists to worry about: Tea Party activists, birth certificate obsessives, the Koch brothers.
Click source link to continue…
Source: New York Times
My Comments:
I read Kevin Phillips’s book – American Theocracy when it came out in 2006. I must say I am not warm to the thoughts of Bachmann and Perry touting their religious credentials. Our democracy prides itself on keeping religion where it should be – a personal thing. I could careless what Perry’s or Bachmann’s religious leanings are.  I hope people of this ilk will never rise to lead this country.Â