Clipmarks | AcesLucky's 'superstition' clips

Another Story of Religious Child Abuse

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:01:23 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: More bone headed tales of misguided cult followers believing muttering pleas to their invisible friend will magically cure disease. Unfortunately, in this case, the recipient of the "prayer treatment" died for no reason. And because of religious brainwashing the 16 year old agreed to this non-treatment. Sad indeed.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Teenager from faith-healing family dies in Oregon

GLADSTONE, Ore. - Authorities say a teenager from a faith-healing family died from an illness that could have been easily treated, just a few months after a toddler cousin of his died in a case that has led to criminal charges.

Tuesday's death of 16-year-old Neil Beagley, however, may not be a crime because Oregon law allows minors 14 and older to decide for themselves whether to accept medical treatment.

Nelson said a catheter would have saved the boy's life. If the condition had been dealt with earlier, a urologist could easily have removed the blockage and avoided the kidney damage that came with the repeated illnesses, Nelson said.

Benton said a board member of the Followers of Christ church contacted the authorities after Beagley died at his family's home. The teen had been sick about a week, and church members and his family had gathered to pray Sunday when his condition worsened, Benton said.

Tags: religion, prayer, cult, science, superstition

Modern Evidence of a Messiah - Documentation

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:51:56 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: How a man becomes a Messiah. Watch and learn about religion and how it works. Formally under "Conversion". How evangelicals and charismatics "convert" the mind.

Clip Source: video.google.com

[Video]

Tags: bible, christian, christianity, church, faith, god, religion, superstition, theology, messiah

Does the Universe Have a Purpose?

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 21:29:43 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Scholarly essays by professors and such.

Clip Source: www.templeton.org

Does the Universe Have a Purpose?

Unlikely. Lawrence M. Krauss	Very Likely. Bruno Guiderdoni
Yes. David Gelernter	No. Christian de Duve
Perhaps. Paul Davies	Yes. John F. Haught
No. Peter William Atkins	Not Sure. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Indeed. Nancey Murphy	Certainly. Jane Goodall
Yes. Owen Gingerich	I Hope So. Eli Wiesel

a templeton conversation

Tags: atheism, christianity, faith, god, intelligent design, religion, theology, superstition

But what about Norway?

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:24:15 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Norway is 70% Atheist. Kid makes a good point.

Clip Source: www.irreligion.org

Norway? They’re All Going To Hell

Tags: atheism, christian, christianity, faith, god, religion, superstition, church, society

Lifestyles of the Rich Evangelist

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 02:31:09 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Extravagant lifestyles by fleecing the flock.

Clip Source: rawstory.com

Lavish televangelist lifestyles raise eyebrows at Senate Finance Committee

The reportedly extravagant lifestyles of six television evangelists are raising some eyebrows at the Senate Finance Committee, which wants to know if the popular preachers are paying their fair share in taxes.

"Mr. Grassley said his investigation was prompted by complaints from watchdog groups and others that the ministers live in multimillion-dollar homes, travel on private jets and engage in profit-making ventures from their ministries," reports the Journal, adding that the senator said he would withhold judgment until he got "the story from the ministries."

Evangelists receiving letters from Grassley were Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer and Paula White.

"Ministers who espouse prosperity theology promote themselves as conduits for God's blessings, saying that believers will reap benefits as long as they give generously to the ministries,

Tags: christianity, church, faith, god, religion, superstition, bible

Mother dies after refusing blood

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:53:00 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: She was only 22 years of age. Her surviving husband now has to live with that decision too (and two motherless children). The article is not clear that she would have lived if she received it, according to her family... not according to the doctor.

At least it was her own decision and consequences, and not a decision to deny children of needed medical treatment. It's still sad.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Mother dies after refusing blood

A young Jehovah's Witness has died after giving birth to twins, amid claims that she had refused a blood transfusion because of her faith.

Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions because they believe that God has forbidden it in the Bible. They believe that accepting a blood transfusion is a sin.

Head of Science and Ethics at the British Medical Association, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, said: "If somebody believes that having blood will excommunicate them from their religious beliefs, then they will often say no and accept the risk of death."

Tags: bible, christian, christianity, faith, god, religion, superstition

Science vs Religion

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:29:37 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I couldn't have put it better myself.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Scholarly integrity

Homer Jacobson wrote a paper 52 years ago in which he speculated about the chemical conditions underlying the origin of life. After discovering that the paper is frequently cited by creationists, and after reviewing the work and finding multiple errors, he has retracted the paper. Good for him. It won't matter to the creationists, though; this paper will continue to get cited and mangled and misused.

The writeup makes an excellent point.

It is not unusual for scientists to publish papers and, if they discover evidence that challenges them, to announce they were wrong. The idea that all scientific knowledge is provisional, able to be challenged and overturned, is one thing that separates matters of science from matters of faith.

Yes. Science has an integrity and dedication to the honest evaluation of the evidence that religion lacks.

Tags: science, religion, method, faith, rationality, superstition

A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew, were walking in the desert...

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:44:41 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: This is funny.

Clip Source: video.stumbleupon.com

[Video]

A Muslim, a Christian and a Jew....

Tags: atheism, bible, christianity, religion, superstition, theology, muslim, christian, jews

Disband the Theology Departments!

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:50:09 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: "..as for theology itself, defined as "the organised body of knowledge dealing with the nature, attributes, and governance of God", a positive case now needs to be made that it has any real content at all.."

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Let's disband the theology departments!

Dawkins does know how to tweak the fluffy little wankers, that's for sure. He is suggesting that universities ought to dismantle their theology departments!

You don't see colleges retaining their astrology and alchemy departments, so I think it is quite reasonable to shuffle the superannuated fogeys off to the glue factory, and let the others find their places in disciplines with some foundation in reality, like philosophy and history.

Tags: atheism, bible, christianity, faith, god, intelligent design, religion, superstition, theology

Torture Chambers - The Christianising of Europe

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:50:44 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: The Pope, leading the way of torture, and the history of Christianity. Will people ever get a clue?

Clip Source: www.jesusneverexisted.com

Torture Chambers

' For 1500 hundred years, the Christian Church systematically operated torture chambers throughout Europe. Torture was the rule, not the exception. Next to the Bible, the most influential and venerated book in Christian history was the Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches), which was a step-by-step tutorial in how to torture "witches' and "sorcerers".

"All sects of heretics are condemned and various punishments are appointed for them and their accomplices."

--Pope Alexander IV (1254-61)
(Directory for the Inquisitors p. 135)

Iron Spider:

The iron would usually be heated to red-hot and then used to slowly rip the breasts from the body. It would be used for such crimes as heresy, adultery, self-induced abortions, blasphemy and other "hideous" crimes.

Slow Burn

A 16th century device to lift the victim in and out of the fire, roasting him alive slowly instead of burning him all at once.

Tags: bible, christianity, faith, god, moral values, religion, superstition, theology, torture

A telling story about faith, prayer, and truth.

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:35:25 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: A telling story about faith, prayer, and truth.

Clip Source: www.atheistalliance.org

The Wailing Wall

A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau takes an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So the journalist goes down and introduces herself to the old man.

She asks: "You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that and what are you praying for?"

The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home have a cup of tea and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth."

The journalist is amazed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?" she asks.

The old man looks at her sadly. "Like I'm talking to a wall."

found on the internet

Tags: atheism, bible, christianity, god, religion, superstition, theology, faith, prayer

Spiritual Fraud -- Superstition and the Gullible -- a confession

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:48:43 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: "No amount of evidence to the contrary, including confession by the fraud who performed the tricks, is good enough to sway the True Believer."

Clip Source: www.holysmoke.org

No matter how often the confidence scammers are exposed, those who believe will happily continue to pay cold hard cash to be deceived.

"The true-believer syndrome merits study by science. What is it that compels a person, past all reason, to believe the unbelievable? How can an otherwise sane individual become so enamored of a fantasy, an imposture, that even after it's exposed in the bright light of day he still clings to it--- indeed, clings to it all the harder?

"The true-believer syndrome is the greatest thing phony mediums have going for them. No amount of logic can shatter a faith consciously based on a lie."

No amount of evidence to the contrary, including confession by the fraud who performed the tricks, is good enough to sway the True Believer. If you are among these poor souls, well, you have my sympathy, but you must admit you "had it comming to you." After all, you believe the impossible--- shouldn't you pay for such stupidity?

Tags: culture, religion, superstition, theology, god, fraud

No proof of Rama's existence, says ASI

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:59:24 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Are most (if not all) religions based on folklore?

Clip Source: www.expressindia.com

No proof of Rama’s existence: Centre

New Delhi, September 12: In the midst of a political controversy over the Sethusamudram project, the Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there was no historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Rama or the other characters in Ramayana.

In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) rejected the claim of the existence of the "Ramasetu bridge" in the area where the project was under construction.

Referring to the Ramayana, the affidavit said there is no "historical record" to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the character, or the occurrences of the events, depicted therein.

Tags: atheism, god, religion, superstition, theology

Is Religion Harmful? 50% of Brits say "Yes"

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:28:11 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Is religion giving religion a bad name?

Clip Source: news.sky.com

Nearly 50% Of Brits Say Religion 'Harmful'

Nearly half of Britons believe religion causes harm, a new poll has revealed.

Only 17% of people questioned in the YouGov poll thought relegion was beneficial - but 28% said they still believe in God.

"One reason might be the publicity attracted by a handfull of mad mullahs and their hate-filled rhetoric," he said in his new book In God We Doubt.

"Even though the dominant faith - by a massive margin - is Christianity, only 17% thought the influence of religion is beneficial," the book added.

"That is even fewer than those who claim they believe in a personal God.

"And yet when we asked which of the main religions was "most effective" at getting its message across, most thought it was Christianity."

Tags: atheism, bible, christianity, religion, god, theology, superstition

This would settle it!

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:10:09 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Finding this in science would settle it, wouldn't it?

Clip Source: www.kevinfrank.net

Tags: atheism, bible, christianity, god, humor, intelligent design, religion, science, superstition, theology

Clipmarks | AcesLucky's 'superstition' clips

Another Story of Religious Child Abuse

Teenager from faith-healing family dies in Oregon

Modern Evidence of a Messiah - Documentation

Does the Universe Have a Purpose?

But what about Norway?

Norway? They’re All Going To Hell

Lifestyles of the Rich Evangelist

Mother dies after refusing blood

Science vs Religion

Scholarly integrity

A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew, were walking in the desert...

Disband the Theology Departments!

Let's disband the theology departments!

Torture Chambers - The Christianising of Europe

"All sects of heretics are condemned and various punishments are appointed for them and their accomplices."

Iron Spider: The iron would usually be heated to red-hot and then used to slowly rip the breasts from the body. It would be used for such crimes as heresy, adultery, self-induced abortions, blasphemy and other "hideous" crimes.

Slow Burn

A 16th century device to lift the victim in and out of the fire, roasting him alive slowly instead of burning him all at once.

A telling story about faith, prayer, and truth.

Spiritual Fraud -- Superstition and the Gullible -- a confession

No proof of Rama's existence, says ASI

Is Religion Harmful? 50% of Brits say "Yes"

Nearly 50% Of Brits Say Religion 'Harmful'

Nearly half of Britons believe religion causes harm, a new poll has revealed.

This would settle it!

Iron Spider:

The iron would usually be heated to red-hot and then used to slowly rip the breasts from the body. It would be used for such crimes as heresy, adultery, self-induced abortions, blasphemy and other "hideous" crimes.