In the news

[Spang]

Just to reiterate, God does not exist. Now let us bow our heads and not pray to said nonexistent deity.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Personally I assumed Atheism was simply saying 'I dont believe in the concept of organised Religion or believe that there is a God...now I shall live my life and not mention it again because its not part of who I am'

I dont think Im explaining myself. Ok...People with faith, its tends to be something that defines them. Not having faith is not a defination is it? I dont know. Shut up Helen.

 

[Muggle]

Yeah I was wondering that. Do they get together and bang on about how much they dont believe in God :/

This reminds me of the few pagan moots I've been to. Pretty much the only topic was how much everybody hated Christianity.
I didn't go back.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Personally I assumed Atheism was simply saying 'I dont believe in the concept of organised Religion or believe that there is a God...now I shall live my life and not mention it again because its not part of who I am'

I dont think Im explaining myself. Ok...People with faith, its tends to be something that defines them. Not having faith is not a defination is it? I dont know. Shut up Helen.

That is what I thought too and I said the same thing when I first heard about it on the news. Atheists I've known have been quite reserved about their views but online atheists are a different matter IME. I think atheism is much more accepted in the UK so people don't go on about it that much.

 

[ledboots]

Deleted

 

[mlp]

I had the same initial reaction as the posters here at the mention of an atheist "church", but then I read the article. It seems they get together and talk about ethical/moral issues, enjoy some music, sing and socialize. Not that different from what we do here, minus the verbal hand to hand combat and the veg*nism.

 

[Calliegirl]

I don't really see what atheists would have to talk about.

I belong to an Atheist group and used to go to their monthly meetings before I moved. They were held at a Unitarian church and would often have a speaker. The speaker was usually someone pretty well known in the Atheist world, who had put out a popular book or film. Once it was the minister of the Unitarian church itself. If there wasn't a speaker, there would be a topic such as doing more volunteer work, holding different events, or a current event (one was about the decreasing bee population).

There would be a social hour before and after with lots of food, and a chance to make new friends. I found most of the people who went were very intelligent and the conversations were often about science, a philosophy topic or world events. We once had a conversation on string theory while hiking. A huge percentage of the members are teachers and computer programmers.

They hold a lot of social events: lunch, dinner, happy hour, movies, holiday parties, museums, volunteering, family picnics, hiking, camping, etc. They also collect food for the local food pantries, hold a blood donation day, do community cleanups and join fundraisers for causes like the diabetes foundation and the local humane society.

And that is what Atheist do when they get together.

 

[mlp]

And that is what Atheist do when they get together.

No blood sacrifices to the Ungod? How disappointing.

 

[Calliegirl]

No blood sacrifices to the Ungod? How disappointing.

No barbecued babies at the picnics either.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I belong to an Atheist group and used to go to their monthly meetings before I moved. They were held at a Unitarian church and would often have a speaker. The speaker was usually someone pretty well known in the Atheist world, who had put out a popular book or film. Once it was the minister of the Unitarian church itself. If there wasn't a speaker, there would be a topic such as doing more volunteer work, holding different events, or a current event (one was about the decreasing bee population).

There would be a social hour before and after with lots of food, and a chance to make new friends. I found most of the people who went were very intelligent and the conversations were often about science, a philosophy topic or world events. We once had a conversation on string theory while hiking. A huge percentage of the members are teachers and computer programmers.

They hold a lot of social events: lunch, dinner, happy hour, movies, holiday parties, museums, volunteering, family picnics, hiking, camping, etc. They also collect food for the local food pantries, hold a blood donation day, do community cleanups and join fundraisers for causes like the diabetes foundation and the local humane society.

And that is what Atheist do when they get together.

Right, but those type of activities aren't limited to atheists was my point, apart from the bit about promoting their own atheist books or films. Atheists can do what they want of course I just think it's weird holding it in a church on a Sunday and copying bits from organised religious ceremonies. Meh, I don't really care anyway, I just thought it was an interesting news piece.

 

[Alice-Bee]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...right-pink-dressing-gown-new-Got-milk-ad.html

In an age where people are forgoing breakfast or choosing diary alternatives like soy and almond milk, the main focus of the multimedia initiative is to promote the health benefits of drinking cow's milk and encourage people to drink a full glass in the morning.

.....

In an era where many people are choosing almond or soy milk the 46-year-old is trying to encourage people to drink the real thing

 

[Spang]

Maryland will very likely become the 18th state to abolish capital punishment:

By a vote of 82 to 56, the House agreed to replace capital punishment with a sentence of life without parole. It approved the measure a week after the Senate passed the bill.

[...]

The governor also pointed to a 2008 study conducted by the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment that found the state's death penalty sentencing to be racially biased. Of the five men currently serving time on Maryland's death row, four are African-Americans whose victims were white.

 

[das_nut]

Maryland will very likely become the 18th state to abolish capital punishment:

Thank God. It's an outdated practice in our culture.

I never understood conservatives' support of capital punishment. It's a tad schizophrenic to believe that government tends to screw everything up, yet support giving the government the power to kill people.

 

[Spang]

At this year's CPAC, the largest conference for conservatives, they have a panel on how not to appear racist.

Trump the Race Card: Are You Sick and Tired of Being Called a Racist and You Know You're Not One? Friday, 3pm

 

[Ansciess]

PeTA Wat r u doin?
PeTa STAHP!

I agree with PETA on this. I don't think games about hunting and killing whales are ethically acceptable, and they're fine to speak out about it.

 

[das_nut]

I agree with PETA on this. I don't think games about hunting and killing whales are ethically acceptable, and they're fine to speak out about it.

Odd how they don't seem to complain about games where humans are killed.

 

[Ansciess]

Odd how they don't seem to complain about games where humans are killed.

No it's not. They're an animal rights organization, not a human rights organization. Are they supposed to take up every cause?

I guess you must also think it's odd that Amnesty International doesn't complain about the torture of chickens on factory farms. In fact, the stood against the Great Ape Project, which was pretty crappy.

 

[Spang]

PeTA sucks.

 

[Spang]

And in other news: Rand Paul introduced the Life at Conception Act:

"The Life at Conception Act legislatively declares what most Americans believe and what science has long known — that human life begins at the moment of conception, and therefore is entitled to legal protection from that point forward," Paul said in a statement.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Anyway, back to serious news stories. The EU laws to define jam are to be relaxed. The new rule will allow fruit spreads that have 50% sugar to be defined as jam (it was previously 60% sugar.)

'Ridiculous' EU jam laws cut back by Vince Cable - Telegraph