Clipmarks | Humanism Clips

Belief System Selector

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:22:04 GMT

clipped by: overunity
clipper's remarks: According to the results of the survey, i should be Adventist. - Well... I am.

Clip Source: www.selectsmart.com

BELIEF SYSTEM SELECTOR RESULTS

Seventh Day Adventist (100%)

Orthodox Quaker (97%)

Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (86%)

Eastern Orthodox (80%)

Roman Catholic (80%)

Hinduism (56%)

Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (51%)

Jainism (49%)

Jehovah's Witness (44%)

Orthodox Judaism (43%)

Islam (41%)

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (38%)

Bahai (37%)

Liberal Quakers (36%)

Theravada Buddhism (35%)

Mahayana Buddhism (35%)

Unitarian Universalism (27%)

Sikhism (24%)

New Age (21%)

Neo-Pagan (20%)

Taoism (19%)

Non-theist (18%)

Secular Humanism (18%)

Reform Judaism (16%)

Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (15%)

New Thought (14%)

Scientology (13%)

Tags: adventist, god, belief, religion

Cross Could Adorn License Plates

Fri, 23 May 2008 13:18:01 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.charleston.net

2 groups oppose religious symbol

This proposed license plate in Florida is similar to the one proposed for South Carolina

COLUMBIA — The cross could soon grace a state specialty license plate.

But if the Legislature endorses the new plate, which would say "I Believe" across the bottom and carry the image of a cross in front of a stained-glass window, the state could end up in court.

The bill received key approval in the House on Wednesday with a 109-0 vote. A change from the Senate version will send it back to that body before it could go to Gov. Mark Sanford's desk.

"People can express their views however they want, on a bumper sticker,

whatever," said Ronald Lindsay, director of the First Amendment Task Force for the Council for Secular Humanism, a New York-based group.

"Once you get into the license plate area, that's an official government document, or tag. There is simply no need for it."

Congratulations California

Thu, 15 May 2008 23:45:04 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Good news for human rights. At least in California they've recognized that bigotry and hate are not compatible with freedom and liberty and human rights.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Gay Couples Celebrate California Ruling

SAN FRANCISCO — Gay and lesbian couples in San Francisco rejoiced Thursday over a California Supreme Court decision affirming their right to marry

“What a day for San Francisco, what a day for California, what a day for America, what a day for equality,” Mr. Newsom said before a crowd of several hundred jubilant supporters at San Francisco City Hall.

Mr. Newsom said his office would begin preparing for new gay marriages as soon as the court decision was effective in 30 days. But unlike in 2004, Thursday’s decision would effect marriages statewide, something that the mayor seemed both relieved and vindicated by. “This is not just San Francisco now,” he said shortly after the decision was released. “Its Redding. Its Auburn. It’s Long Beach, its the southern part of the state. It’s Riverside. Its Fresno, that this is now appropriate and legal.”

“I respect the court’s decision and as governor I will uphold its ruling,” the Mr. Schwarzenegger said.

Tags: humanism, law, gay

allaboutphilosophy.org

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:15:22 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: interesting site...

Clip Source: www.allaboutphilosophy.org

Philosophy: The Big Questions

Do you want a rational investigation of the truth? Philosophy poses many questions. Where did I come from and why am I here? Why is there suffering? Is there a God? What is my purpose in life? Get started on your trek to find answers to life's most important questions

Systems of Thought

Deism Dualism Existentialism^* Nihilism Postmodernism Agnostic Atheism Communism Cultural Materialism Cultural Relativism Humanism Materialism Moral Relativism Naturalism Secular Humanism

Matters of Thought

Cosmological Argument^* Absolute Truth Creation Vs. Evolution Does God Exist? Evolutionism God God's Love Is God Real? Is There A God? Morality Situational Ethics Why Am I Here?

Great Thinkers

Abd-ar-Rahman III^* Antony Flew Aristotle Blaise Pascal Accomplishments C.S. Lewis Quotes Gilgamesh Great Philosophers Greek Philosopher Plato Life of Confucius Life of King David Life of St. Augustine Nebuchadnezzar Philosophy Quotes Thomas Aquinas

Tags: philosophy, thought, thinkers

African American Religiosity, Humanism and Politics

Fri, 09 May 2008 20:05:59 GMT

clipped by: zizzy
clipper's remarks: Go to site to listen

Clip Source: www.pointofinquiry.org

In this wide-ranging discussion with D.J. Grothe, Norm Allen explores some of the challenges advancing science and secularism within the African American community. He examines the pressure to conform to the religious ideal among various black skeptics and atheists, including many historical African American figures such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Nella Larsen, and Faye Wattleton, former president of Planned Parenthood of America. He debates whether religion is a liberating or oppressive force for African Americans. He also details many anti-science trends in the Black community, including those coming from Black entertainment outlets promoting anti-science such as psychic 900 lines, televangelists and belief in prophecy. He ties all of this discussion to an exploration of religion and secularism as they relate to political activism, including the influence of such high-profile Black preachers such as Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Senator Barack Obama's spiritual advisor.

Human Tragedy

Tue, 06 May 2008 03:21:16 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Granted, Myanmar has a terrible track record of human abuse. Their government is cuel and dictatorial. Yet for the US to offer a paultry $250,000 is an insult and shows a deep lack of humanity. The people of Myanmar are not the corrupt military dictatorship. Yet, it seems as though we are making them pay to score political points. Something is not right here.

Clip Source: www.bloomberg.com

Myanmar Cyclone Death Toll Reaches 10,000, Junta Says (Update1)

May 6 (Bloomberg) -- The death toll from the tropical cyclone that slammed into Myanmar three days ago rose to 10,000, according to the military government, making the storm Southeast Asia's deadliest natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.

About 3,000 people are missing in the Irrawaddy delta region alone, Myanmar government ministers told international diplomats yesterday, the United Nations news agency IRIN said.

The U.S. yesterday offered an initial $250,000 in aid to the country, which is among the world's least-developed, while castigating its military leadership for failing to alert citizens to the approaching cyclone.

Tags: politics, foreign policy, humanism, bush

I am a transhumanist, thanks

Mon, 05 May 2008 09:21:56 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: I say, fear not. If you have clearly transhumanist beliefs, like the notion that human enhancement is coming in the next few decades and will be a big deal, then don’t be afraid to call yourself one.

As Dr. Wittgenstein, one of my favorite philosophers ever, used to argue, words are just labels we fill with our own content. To think that a word has any inherent meaning aside from its use in language is absurd.

Clip Source: www.acceleratingfuture.com

I have a suitcase. Inside of it is concern for the future, an Enlightenment approach to technology, an embrace of humanism with a qualifier to aim higher, fascination for cyborgs and cybernetics, interest in Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence Augmentation, technoprogressive bioethics (yes Dale, your term has been hijacked), a desire to freeze myself if necessary, interest in molecular manufacturing, self-replicating machines, Big Picture, long-term thinking, and a sense of self-depreciating humor.

What should I name that suitcase?

To anyone confident about their own ideas, and unafraid of naysayers, the answer is a no-brainer: transhumanism. Transhumanism is the philosophy that we adhere to, the suitcase word we use to describe our fascinating interests, which are often relevant to the future of humanity, and often even sanctioned by mainstream news outlets. (During the last ten years.)

Tags: transhumanism, ai

Humanism to be part of religious studies

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:26:40 GMT

clipped by: jimbo1000
clipper's remarks: on a convergent path?

Clip Source: www.ekklesia.co.uk

School students will soon be able to study humanism as part of a Religious Studies GCSE under new proposals from the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations board (OCR).

Pope Benedict calls for a “new humanism” to overcome violence

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:21:23 GMT

clipped by: Efrain Alvarado

Clip Source: www.catholicnewsagency.com

Vatican City, Apr 14, 2008 / 10:51 am (CNA).- In the face of the eruption of violence around the world, Pope Benedict is calling for a “new humanism” that includes moral and spiritual development, to combat the spread of warfare.

"How", he adds, "can we respond to these challenges? How can we recognize the 'signs of the times'? Certainly, joint action on a political, economic and juridical level is needed but, even before that, it is necessary to reflect together on a moral and spiritual level. What is ever more vital is to promote a 'new humanism'".

we cannot think of this “new humanism” in a way that reduces development to “simple economic growth,” rather, “it must include the moral and spiritual dimension. A truly integral humanism must, at the same time, also express solidarity,"

Yet, is it inconceivable “to think of reducing arms if first we do not eliminate violence at its roots, if man does not first turn decisively to searching for peace and for what is good and just".

Tags: pope, peace, violence, humanism, spiritual, warfare

Khaled Abou El Fadl: Jihad Gone Wrong

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:29:06 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks: Khaled Abou el Fadl is a professor at the School of Law at the University of California. He is a prominent Islamic scholar and intellectual. In this interview, El Fadl talks about suicide bombings, misinterpretations of 'jihad' and the humanist tradition of Islam.

Deutsche Fassung:
Interview Khaled Abou El Fadl - Der missverstandene Dschihad

Der Begriff des Dschihad geistert seit Jahren durch die Presse. Dass seine wahre Bedeutung weder etwas mit Selbstmordattentaten noch mit "heiligem Krieg" zu tun hat, erklärt Khaled Abou El Fadl im Gespräch.
Das, was Selbstmordattentäter als Dschihad verkaufen, ist nichts anderes als eine Strategie offensiver Bombenanschläge, die von der revolutionären Ideologie der 60er Jahre beeinflusst ist, meint Khaled Abou El Fadl.

Prof. Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl ist Professor für islamisches Recht an der Universität von Los Angeles (UCLA)

Clip Source: qantara.de

| Bild:
Khaled Abou El Fadl |

The concept of Jihad is very much different to today's suicide bombings. Jihad also differs from the holy war in the Crusade period, which developed from the doctrine of self-purification through bloodsheds.

Jihad always relies on the power of da'wah (missionary endeavour) and the absence of vengeance feeling. In Jihad, you should not assume yourself to be a killer, nor should you sacrifice the enemy because it is God's will. In the concept of Jihad, war is always regarded as something bad ('syarr), an inevitable evil ('syarrun dlarûrî), and we have to avoid it ('kurhun). War is only permitted to liberate Muslims from tyranny or to defend them from attacks. That is the concept of Jihad.

| Bild:
To El Fadl, suicide bombers are "lazy" as they shun the difficult task of using the intellectual power of reason |

My critique is that the bombers' concept of Jihad has neglected Quranic pre-requirements about the detailed preparation of war.

Tags: el fadl, islam, humanism, jihad, suicide bombing

The Italian Renaissance Brought The World Out Of The Middle Ages

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:27:59 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The Italian Renaissance, which began in the city of Florence in the late fourteenth century and peaked during the reign of a local ruler named Lorenzo the Magnificent, was a period of tremendous political, religious, and artistic change. The term comes from an Italian word for rebirth, and for intellectuals, the Renaissance, indeed, felt like a rediscovery of the arts. It followed what some regarded as a thousand-year period of cultural stagnation in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Clip Source: www.prevention.com

The Renaissance marked a historical turning point, when the Middle Ages ended and the modern era began. The Renaissance spread from the Florence of the Medicis to other parts of Italy, and then northward to the rest of Europe. Aided by the invention in Germany of a new kind of mass-production printing press, the ideas of the Renaissance changed the culture of Europe profoundly.

The basic creed of the Renaissance was humanism, an intellectual movement that replaced blind obedience to religious teachings with a return to classical thinking. The willingness to cast aside tradition led to new forms of architecture, painting, and scholarship. The Renaissance was, above all else, a shift in mentality away from hidebound medieval traditions to a more inquisitive, modern outlook on the world.

Artists and intellectuals flocked to Lorenzo’s court at the city on the Arno. Famous painters, including Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Michelangelo, worked in Florence. Lorenzo himself wrote poetry

Tags: italian renaissance, late fourteenth century, political, religious, artistic change, lorenzo the magnificent

Liberals Co-opted

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:58:43 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Liberals are not really Liberal anymore and Conservatives are not really Conservative !

Additional excerpt:
"In a modified version of the Stoic conception of the earth as a living organism possessed of its own soul, neo-pantheist dialectical materialism declares that earth is “one entire organism…its organs the various races and nations of men.” Not only is the earth alive and evolving upward on evolution’s magical escalator, but so too are history and society, for they also are living entities in a continuous state of motion. And man? In a modified conception of Atomism’s extremely dehumanizing view of man, dialectical materialism states that man is nothing but “a colonial aggregation of cells,” and to “consider him an individual would be an error.” Man---the aggregate of cells--- is nothing but an extension of society, history, and earth. "(Russian Textbook on Psychopolitics, Chapter II: The Constitution of Man as a Political Organism)

Ouyangwulong, If you see this, What happe

Clip Source: www.theconservativevoice.com

During the century to follow, Charles Darwin (1809-82) would help spread materialism to the masses. As Stephen Jay Gould argues, “Darwin applied a consistent philosophy of materialism to his interpretation of nature, “and “the ground of all existence; mind, spirit, and God (are reduced to) neural complexity.” (ibid, p. 41)

It was during this time that Social Darwinism, Progressivism, Socialism, Communism (Cultural Marxism, New Left), Nazism, and Secular Humanism were developed out of metaphysical materialism. Classical Liberalism on the other hand, was subverted and corrupted by the materialist faith into what is now known as modern Liberalism. Of these, Communism (Marx and Engel’s dialectical materialism), is considered to be the most highly developed philosophy of materialism. It rests on three fundamental metaphysical presuppositions:

1. Deified Matter:

2. Evolution:

3. Spontaneous Generation:

Marquis de Condorcet, Enlightenment proto-transhumanist

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:00:08 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: ieet.org

Marquis de Condorcet (1744-1794) was a hugely influential Enlightenment era thinker who contributed significantly to the rise of secular humanism and helped plant the seeds of transhumanism. He is said to have best represented the ideals of the Enlightenment.

To this end, Condorcet advocated for a liberal economy, free and equal public education and constitutionalism. He also advocated for the primacy of reason as way to liberate humanity from the church, authoritarianism and nature.

Condorcet speculated about utopian possibilities and wrote a piece on the perfectability of society. He gave no concrete definition of a “perfect” human existence, but he believed that the progression of the human race would inevitably continue throughout the course of its existence. His thoughts prompted Thomas Malthus to write his famous paper on unsustainable population growth.

Tags: condorcet, utopia, liberal economy, secular humanism

Are You Washed In The Blood?

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:32:10 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "A campaign had emerged to promote the idea that the Bible was entirely without error, even in matters of history and science. Some feared that more liberal theological positions were being taught in the convention's seminaries.
n August, he visited the White House. In "Our Endangered Values," Carter recalls Smith saying, at the close of their meeting, "We are praying, Mr. President, that you will abandon secular humanism as your religion."

HMMMMM . . . where have I heard that before? I thinky maybe here on CM, yes I do. I think I have had that charge leveled on me that I MUST be a secular humanist. God FORBID that I promote peace, I MUST be a pacifist -(even though Jesus was the ultimate pacifist). God FORBID I must be a voice against violence, homophobia, patriarchy, sexism, and racism. I MUST be secular. God wouldn't want those values; the only values God wants are crotch based.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

He spoke about Christ's insistence that people love their enemies.

"It is one of the most difficult things for human beings to do," Carter said. "But Jesus said this because he meant it."

"It really grieved me to see my own depository of religious faith . . . being ripped apart," Carter said. "It was very deeply troubling. And I have felt, maybe unjustifiably, a personal obligation to try to do something about it."

Carter remembers that culture as being tolerant of divergent viewpoints. But when he left the White House in 1981, a conservative faction within the convention had begun to take over, and liberals like him felt spurned

.His latest attempt at a rapprochement resulted in an ambitious meeting of Baptists of all stripes this week in Atlanta.

But the Southern Baptist Convention leadership refused to attend. In May, President Frank Page, whom Carter personally invited, denounced the meeting's "smoke-screen left-wing liberal agenda."

Tags: you, get, it, jimmy

New Encyclopaedia of Unbelief

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:36:49 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: richarddawkins.net

Successor to the highly acclaimed Encyclopedia of Unbelief (1985), edited by the late Gordon Stein, the New Encyclopedia of Unbelief is a comprehensive reference work on the history, beliefs, and thinking of America's fastest growing minority: those who live without religion. All-new articles by the field's foremost scholars describe and explain every aspect of atheism, agnosticism, secular humanism, secularism, and religious skepticism. Topics include morality without religion, unbelief in the historicity of Jesus, critiques of intelligent design theory, unbelief and sexual values, and summaries of the state of unbelief around the world. More than 130 respected scholars and activists worldwide served on the editorial advisory board and over 100 authoritative contributors have written in excess of 500 entries.

probably too expensive for most people ($145 USD), but maybe it's something to recommend for university or local libraries?

Tags: encyclopaedia of unbelief, atheists's bible