Really cute

From: Skeptico

Sam Harris: It’s not about atheism, it’s about reason and genuine respect for the well-being of others

Having just watched the recent Sam Harris + Rabbi David Wolpe debate on the existence of God, I was reminded of Sam Harris’ very important and agreeable position that a big part of the cultural struggle being fought be secularists should not be about atheism specifically, but about reason generally. Now, the subject of religion surely earns very special consideration in the struggle because it is one of the few, if not the only, domains in which people are not pressed for evidence for their beliefs, and are often even treated favourably for holding these beliefs in the absense of evidence. And of course, there is also the aspect of the secularist movement which is pushing for the raising of consciousness with the respect to the fact and inappropriateness that atheism is apparently one of if not the last hot button social characteristics for which it is still fairly socially acceptable for one the display overt bigotry toward. So definitely, given all of this and the great political import, considerations of religion remains the highest individual priority for the movement. However, at its core this movement needs to be more generally about anti-dogmatism and open-minded and genuine respect for the well-being and freedom from suffering of others.

As Richard Dawkins says, some of us just go one god further

From Matterr via The Friendly Atheist

A question and a comment:

Why is Buddha on this list? Isn’t Buddha said to have simply been a creative, deep-thinking, compassionate and insightful human male?

Including the Flying Spaghetti Monster probably would have put things further into perspective.

United Church of Christ strongly supports evolution

The National Center for Science Education reports that the United Church of Christ has released a new statement on faith, science and technology that describes evolution as a matter of fact. The statement also espouses the misguided faith-based assertion that evolution is the means by which God creates, and claims erroneously that science and religion are compatible. On the bright side, at least they’re not IDiots. An excerpt from their statement, entitled “A New Voice Arising: A Pastoral Letter on Faith Engaging Science and Technology” is presented below.

Doubt in and faking of faith, and the need for secular alternatives to religious communities

A reader, postthought, expressed curiosity regarding why so many Americans are religious despite their access to education. She also opined that many of the faithful are faking their faith. Here are some of my quick thoughts on these matters:

Finding meaning in wonder and well-being: An ex-fundamentalist’s tale

In what is one of the top WordPress stories today, Karen at de-Conversion presents the story of an ex-Christian fundamentalist (Southern Baptist), Bryan, who after leaving his faith eventually finds meaning in wonder and promoting well-being in self and others. This is a beautiful story that speaks to the indescribable value of a number of easily secularizable Buddhist values: mindfulness, an intrinsic appreciation for ourselves and our world, and compassion for the self and others.

The Cultivation of Wisdom and Well-Being, Installment 1: Mindfulness and Meta-Cognition

Welcome to the first post dedicated to wisdom, one of the intended pillars of this blog. This posting is the first of a series of posts addressing posited pillars of wisdom and well-being, including mindfulness and meta-cognition, process orientation, egolessness and openess. Mindfulness and meta-cognition will be the subject of this first installment, with major sub-units being meditation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Notice to Skeptics: Neither this nor any other of my writings on wisdom or anything else will involve the endorsement of faith.