Clipmarks | Morality Clips

Morality Without God?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:11:13 GMT

clipped by: Jacob173

Morality Without God?

Confirmation of biblical wisdom came earlier this fall from an unlikely source: an Ivy League savant who says it's wrong to depend on the Bible.

WSA begins by complaining that his students quote to him Dostoevsky's favorite line, "If God is dead, everything is permitted." WSA then argues that we don't need God: We all should simply agree not to harm others—cause death, pain, or disability—unless there is "adequate reason."

But back to abortion. Ronald Reagan's logic was that if a hunter sees movement in the forest and doesn't know whether it's a deer or a person, he should not shoot. But WSA suggested in his book Moral Skepticisms (2006) that since we don't know whether abortion is morally wrong, it's unfair for employers to insist that health plans not pay for abortions.

Four conclusions:

4. "If God is dead, everything is permitted."

The "Right" Side of Gay

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:39:47 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: Would you defend the "morality" of Paris, Kim, or Carrie? Seriously. They can go about doing whatever they want, as long as it's legal, but I could never imagine rallying to defend them. But that's just me. Though I do have to wonder why people like Hannity and other so-called conservatives are so bent on defending Prejean, I haven't seen them defend Kim or Paris like this, quite the opposite for some. Which is why I ask, is it because she was on the "right side of gay"?

Clip Source: www.ivillage.com

Make a Sex Tape

This method is an obvious classic and has put several supposedly unwitting gals on the map. And when you're not already on a hit TV show like Leighton Meester and Eric Dane, it's a guaranteed way to get attention. Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian's respective sex tapes catapulted their careers, bringing them television deals and magazine covers. Though both were reportedly mortified when the tapes were leaked without their knowledge, there's no denying the fame they brought them.

Clip Source: thesuperficial.com

Despite having already posed for topless photos and a sex tape featuring only herself, Carrie Prejean decided to criticize pornography in her upcoming book. TMZ reports:

"Unfortunately, pornography has become mainstreamed

The result is that girls grow up in a culture where it is hard to have an innocent, healthy, normal view of themselves, how they should behave, how they should act, and how they should dress."

'Devil Worshipper’ Retort May Burn Employer

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:39:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: Despite the obvious misinformation, like "believers gathering in Salem" as if it were Mecca, I think she has a good case.

Clip Source: www.ctlawtribune.com

Like many people, Gina Uberti wanted to take time off from work for a religious holiday.

Unlike most Connecticut workers, her religion is Wicca, the largest of the neo-pagan, earth-based faiths. Wiccans worship multiple deities, use magic in their rituals, adhere to a basic code of morality, and hold four major seasonally based festivals.

Uberti attended one of those festivals last October. A dispute with a supervisor over that vacation has led to an unusual federal lawsuit.

Jarad M. Lucan, who practices employment law at Durant, Nichols, Houston, Hodgson, & Cortese-Costa in Bridgeport, is not involved with the case. But he said it should send a message to employers that, no matter how common or obscure the religion, if a worker sincerely believes it to be their religion, then employers must reasonably accommodate them under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“You have to try to accommodate a sincerely held religious belief,”

Tags: wicca, religion, work, legal

Maine, Detroit, & The Closet

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:50:26 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.365gay.com

When I was a “fag” on the junior high playground, getting punched hurt even when I saw it coming. So too with Maine this past week.

And the opposition’s central message—that gays want to influence schoolchildren—remains as effective as it is sinister.

The message conjures up the image of gays as child molesters—a myth debunked but never fully extinguished.

A slightly less sinister (but still false) version portrays us as anti-family and anti-morality. Still another falsehood is that we’re trying to “recruit.”

And that’s surely one lesson of this loss: the closet is still powerful, and our opponents use it to their advantage.

But we will not go back in the closet again.

We will keep telling our stories. We will keep showing our faces. We will keep getting married, even if—for now—Maine doesn’t legally recognize our relationships. We will not go back in the closet again.

And though we’ve lost this particular battle, we will continue to win the war.

List of countries unilaterally invaded by America

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:48:09 GMT

clipped by: aperiozar
clipper's remarks: This is a list of 70 countries unilaterally invaded by America since WWII - killing countless civilians in the process.

Clip Source: www.thirdworldtraveler.com

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions:
1945 to the Present

by William Blum

The engine of American foreign policy has been fueled not by a devotion to any kind of morality, but rather by the necessity to serve other imperatives, which can be summarized as follows:

* making the world safe for American corporations;

* enhancing the financial statements of defense contractors at home who have contributed generously to members of congress;

* preventing the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model;

* extending political and economic hegemony over as wide an area as possible, as befits a "great power."

This in the name of fighting a supposed moral crusade against what cold warriors convinced themselves, and the American people, was the existence of an evil International Communist Conspiracy, which in fact never existed, evil or not.

The United States carried out extremely serious interventions into more than 70 nations in this period.

Tags: us, war on terror, us invasions

Guantanamo Bay Torture edit - 2008

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:11:10 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns
clipper's remarks: Go to source for interviews

Clip Source: www.spectacle.co.uk

Guantanamo Bay Torture edit - 2008

Rough cut with BITC. Interviews taken during 2007 and 2008.

This short film is a preliminary edit exploring the experiences of torture of prisoners held captive at Guantanamo Bay. The accounts from Lawyers, campaigners and ex-prisoners at the camp challenge the legitimacy and morality of the methods employed.

Interviewees include:

Moazzam Begg, spokesperson for Cage Prisoners and former Guantanamo Bay Detanee

Shakeel Begg, Imam, Lewisham Mosque

Gareth Pierce, Birnberg Pierce and Partners

James Yee, Former U.S. Military Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay

Tom Wilner, Stearman and Sterling LLP

Zachary Katznelson and Clive Stafford Smith from Reprieve

War Society, Collapse and the University: an interview with Robert Jensen

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:01:27 GMT

clipped by: JICWyllie

Clip Source: energybulletin.net

So, the buildup in Afghanistan is not only immoral, it’s not only fundamentally unjust; in this case it’s also incredibly stupid. So on all counts, anyway you want to evaluate this, the United States is making crucial errors.

why are we doing this?

first of all remember that just because people in power might be corrupt and immoral doesn’t mean they’re always competent.

the war is an indicator not just of the depravity of the war-makers, it’s a very important indicator of what’s going on in society more generally. And about that, I’m terrified. The direction the whole culture is heading is very scary.

If everybody in the world lived like you and I live, the planet would literally die tomorrow.

The question shouldn’t be when can you predict all of this is going to fall apart; it’s a recognition that it inevitably will fall apart, and we either prepare for it, in both physical terms, but also I think in moral terms.

Tags: 1-morality, 1-policy, 1-war, 2-increase, 2-risks, 3-forecast, 4-afghanistan, 4-us

The allure of liberalism

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:04:53 GMT

clipped by: strider72
clipper's remarks: Read the whole article!

Clip Source: hotair.com

The allure of New Deal liberalism does not lie in collective economics – most voters are not eager to view themselves as living off the government dole. The allure lies within collective morality. People love the idea of buying a slice of high-flying, big-spending government virtue for the low, low price of one little vote. After they cast that vote, they can go home and relax in front of the TV, while the latest out-of-control progressive spending program is quietly extracted from their paycheck… and their employers’ bank account. For many voters, the punitive class warfare of liberal politics is one of its benefits, not part of its cost.

Tags: politics, democrats, liberalism, socialism

Clean Smells Promote Moral Behavior?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:44:57 GMT

clipped by: Fast T friend

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2009) — People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments, according to a soon-to-be published study led by a Brigham Young University professor.

The research found a dramatic improvement in ethical behavior with just a few spritzes of citrus-scented Windex.

The researchers see implications for workplaces, retail stores and other organizations that have relied on traditional surveillance and security measures to enforce rules.

"Companies often employ heavy-handed interventions to regulate conduct, but they can be costly or oppressive," said Liljenquist, whose office smells quite average. "This is a very simple, unobtrusive way to promote ethical behavior."

The study titled "The Smell of Virtue" was unusually simple and conclusive. Participants engaged in several tasks, the only difference being that some worked in unscented rooms, while others worked in rooms freshly spritzed with Windex.

Tags: science, research, cleanliness, smells, morality

Cleanliness Enhances Morality

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:07:15 GMT

clipped by: matrixology

Clip Source: www.funrocker.com

Cleanliness Enhances Morality

The Neuroscience of Sin! Why do we do it?

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:52:18 GMT

clipped by: ronhuxley
clipper's remarks: Reading this article made me think of the proverbial "chicken and the egg." The article suggests that we sin because our brains are evolutionarily designed to do so. This leaves us to conclude that you cannot manage sin as it is hardwired in. I don't agree with that. I think sin is the chicken! The article does a great job of illustrating how various emotions and motives play out in the brain not the other way around. The good news is the very last paragraph. Read it for yourself...enjoy!

Clip Source: discovermagazine.com

Brain researchers have found the sources of many of our darkest thoughts, from envy to wrath.

The most enjoyable sins engage the brain’s reward circuitry, including evolutionarily ancient regions such as the nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus; located deep in the brain, they provide us such fundamental feelings as pain, pleasure, reward, and punishment. More disagreeable forms of sin such as wrath and envy enlist the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). This area, buried in the front of the brain, is often called the brain’s “conflict detector,” coming online when you are confronted with contradictory information, or even simply when you feel pain. The more social sins (pride, envy, lust, wrath) recruit the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), brain terrain just behind the forehead, which helps shape the awareness of self.

When it comes to lust, neuroimaging confirms that the prurient urge is all-encompassing

Clip Source: discovermagazine.com

PRIDE

it takes less mental energy to puff ourselves up than to think critically

Tags: anger, brain, envy, lust, morality, neuroscience, pride, seven deadly sins, sin, sloth

NBC Pressures Jay Leno to "have an affair"

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:16:51 GMT

clipped by: leevardi
clipper's remarks: .........we can't let that Letterman "steal the show"

Clip Source: borowitzreport.com

NBC Pressures Leno to Have Affair

Network Seeks Scandal for Ratings-starved Host

With its primetime and late night lineups in free fall, NBC is reportedly putting pressure on talk show host Jay Leno to have a scandalous affair, a network source confirmed today.

"[NBC chairman] Jeff Zucker is adamant about this," one network source said. "He wants Jay to be up to his neck in sexual monkey business by sweeps."

"This isn't about morality," Mr. Zucker reportedly told the talk show host. "This is about staying competitive."

But creating a ratings-worthy scandal may be easier said then done, the source said.

"If Jay had an affair, he'd probably get away with it," the source said. "Nobody's watching." More here.

Should Sex Trade workers get a better deal?

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:16:57 GMT

clipped by: shaor
clipper's remarks: This is an issue all over the world! Some for it as they keep perverts from other women, some against it for morality issues. I am not sure where I stand now! Holland has it all legalised and government controlled, they even pay tax. I wonder at other people and their ideas??

Clip Source: ca.news.yahoo.com

Laws endanger hookers by barring measures to increase safety, court hears

CBC Photo: A new coalition of women's groups in B.C. is hoping to head off what they...

TORONTO - Canada's prostitution laws have created a "sinister" dilemma for sex-trade workers by forcing them off the streets while forbidding them from moving indoors, a court heard Tuesday.

Pressing to have the laws thrown out, a lawyer for three sex-trade workers argued that provisions outlawing communication for the purposes of prostitution, living off the avails, and keeping a bawdy house are contributing to the horrific violence women across the country often face while plying a legal trade.

"This is not about a right to sell sex - you can sell sex," lawyer Alan Young told Ontario Superior Court.

"It's about a right to liberty and security."

Violence against prostitutes has only increased in recent years, Young said.

Groups opposed to prostitution are intervening in the case.

Flat Earth Follies: The Religious Right's Egg Crusade

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:39:40 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: blackfemlens.blogspot.com

Taking its “life begins at conception” charade from State Legislature to State legislature, one of the most dangerous political forces in the U.S. is stepping up its crusade for the “rights” of the unborn.

Backed by an organization called Personhood USA, the latest offensive from the Religious Right involves a renewed movement to amend state constitutions to establish human rights and personhood status for fertilized eggs.

Ever immune to morality, reason, church-state separation precedents and an understanding of the basic laws of biology, the most flat earth reactionary segment of the so-called pro-life movement wants to circumvent constitutional protections for abortion by conferring personhood on fertilized eggs.

This would eviscerate the premise that women have a sovereign and singular right to control their bodies by designating rights even before implantation and a clinically viable pregnancy has been determined.

Tags: politics

Alabama - Vibrator Free Zone

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:16:21 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: The absurdity of this law actually made me laugh. It is the natural consequence when religion is allowed into the legislative process.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Sex and Sin

In 1568 Montgomery Highway v. City of Hoover, the Supreme Court of Alabama this week upheld the constitutionality of an Alabama statute prohibiting the sale of "any device designed ... primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs." The law was targeted primarily at the sale of such objects as vibrators and dildos.

So, what is it about the use of a vibrator or a dildo that affronts the "public morality"?

The pivotal shift from the world of the classical Greeks to our contemporary world, in this respect, was the advent of Christianity, with its emphasis on sexual pleasure as sinful.

Of course, Christian doctrine has evolved in many ways since then, but it is this core attitude about sex that underlies the claim the sale of sex aids undermines the "public morality." Indeed, if we ask why the use of a sex aid is immoral, the only really plausible answer must be rooted in this set of religious beliefs.

Clipmarks | Morality Clips

Morality Without God?

The "Right" Side of Gay

Make a Sex Tape

'Devil Worshipper’ Retort May Burn Employer

Maine, Detroit, & The Closet

List of countries unilaterally invaded by America

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions: 1945 to the Present

by William Blum

The engine of American foreign policy has been fueled not by a devotion to any kind of morality, but rather by the necessity to serve other imperatives, which can be summarized as follows:

* making the world safe for American corporations;

* enhancing the financial statements of defense contractors at home who have contributed generously to members of congress;

* preventing the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model;

* extending political and economic hegemony over as wide an area as possible, as befits a "great power."

This in the name of fighting a supposed moral crusade against what cold warriors convinced themselves, and the American people, was the existence of an evil International Communist Conspiracy, which in fact never existed, evil or not.

The United States carried out extremely serious interventions into more than 70 nations in this period.

Guantanamo Bay Torture edit - 2008

Guantanamo Bay Torture edit - 2008

War Society, Collapse and the University: an interview with Robert Jensen

The allure of liberalism

Clean Smells Promote Moral Behavior?

Cleanliness Enhances Morality

Cleanliness Enhances Morality

The Neuroscience of Sin! Why do we do it?

NBC Pressures Jay Leno to "have an affair"

Should Sex Trade workers get a better deal?

Laws endanger hookers by barring measures to increase safety, court hears

Flat Earth Follies: The Religious Right's Egg Crusade

Alabama - Vibrator Free Zone

Sex and Sin

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions:
1945 to the Present