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Recent polls indicate that almost half of all Americans reject evolutionary theory. One could very well ask, “what difference does that make?” People can still be smart and nice and believe all kinds of things. Nation Magazine has an article discussing the possible consequences.

“One reason is that rejecting evolution expresses more than an inability to think critically; it relies on a fundamentally paranoid worldview. Think what the world would have to be like for evolution to be false. Almost every scientist on earth would have to be engaged in a fraud so complex and extensive it involved every field from archaeology, paleontology, geology and genetics to biology, chemistry and physics. And yet this massive concatenation of lies and delusion is so full of obvious holes that a pastor with a Bible-college degree or a homeschooling parent with no degree at all can see right through it.”

There was a time when the world’s best science came from the church and people of faith were not afraid to go whereever truth led. It’s time to get back to that kind of faith.
To read article in Nation, click here.

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creationism, evolution, Jim Rigby

June 28, 2012

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Think for a moment how much worse are the things allowed by fundamentalism than those condemned by it. The condemned practices of fundamentalism are pleasure without permission, action without authority, and belief without dogma.  The permitted practices are power without compassion, obedience without question, and belief without reason. And now, consider in human history which path has led to innovation and compassion, and which has been a never ending fountain of sorrow.

No matter how noble a nation, it is held together with violence. No matter how charitable, that nation has boundaries beyond which its affections weaken, or turn to hate. No matter how orthodox a nation, it has people who believe differently or do not believe at all.

Separation of church and state is a principle that protects us all. It protects citizens who wish to believe differently, but it also prevents the word “Christian” from being applied to groups that have little or no allegiance to what Jesus actually taught. A nation that turned the other cheek, shared with all in need, and saw every human as a brother or sister would not long exist as a sovereign nation.

The people we call our “founders” did not come to this continent to start a Christian nation. Many of them came to escape from Christian nations elsewhere. There was a struggle to protect the U.S. Constitution from any mention of the Christian religion. There have been repeated efforts to insert sectarian Christian wording into the text, but saner heads have always prevailed because people remembered that after you have chosen one religion over the rest, the next step is to fight over who’s is the one correct version of that religion.

My friend Jim Spahr sent this link. It supposedly gives you a ball park guess of where you rank in the world’s economy. He guessed at my salary, but it’s a strange thing to think about, so I passed the link on to you. Thanks, Jim.
http://www.globalrichlist.com

The Supreme Court has ruled 5-3 that only the Federal Government can enforce immigration laws at our national boundaries.
to see report, click here.

If gender roles are so clear in nature, why does half of the species have to put on make up and pluck out hair to highlight the difference?

The New York Times reported some very good news today. We are heading into some horrific budget cuts next year. Congress has been debating the cuts in an “across the board” manner. When Sen. McCain asked for a more detailed accounting of what would be cut out of Pentegon spending, Sen. Murray had the brilliant idea to ask the same question of domesting spending. The two requests were bundled and then passed. Perhaps such a study will put faces to the wretched stories this budget will produce.

“In testimony earlier this year, several cabinet secretaries mentioned a few of the specifics — at least 26,000 teachers would be laid off, nearly a million women and children would lose nutrition benefits, 300 national parks fully or partially closed, and large reductions made in food safety and federal aviation operations. The full list will be far longer, and the harm much greater.”

How will America feel when it sees its most vulnerable people paying such a horrible price just to keep the rich from paying higher taxes? Stay tuned.