Lay Theism

Beware of Dogma – Billboard, originally uploaded by Butterflies-R-Free.

I love these billboards. Very attractive and powerful. It’s what led me to FFRF and their excellent podcasts.

Atheism billboard, clever, ffrf

I found this very moving and worthwhile.  I hope to find a local event to attend on May 10, 2008.  I am a huge TED fan, and knew that Jehane Noujaim would go on to do very important work.  Raising the consciousness of people around the world in this way is important work and will go a long way towards creating a future that we can all look forward to rather than fear.  Incidentally, Pangea refers to a time millions of years ago when the land mass on earth was contiguous.

What is Pangea Day?

Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film. On May 10, 2008, live events in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked by satellite to produce a program of powerful films, live music and visionary speakers. The program will be broadcast live to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones.

Who started Pangea Day?

Pangea Day was created by award-winning documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim in collaboration with the TED Conference after she won the prestigious TED Prize, which granted her a wish to change the world. Together, Jehane, TED, and the Pangea Day team — led by Executive Director Delia Cohen — have created Pangea Day to harness the power of film to enhance empathy, compassion, and peace.

And if you aren’t familiar with TED, check it out.  I watch and listen to the free podcasts all the time.

What is TED?

TED stands for “Technology, Entertainment, Design.” It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from those worlds. Since then, its scope has become even broader. This annual conference brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers and challenges them to give the talk of their lives. Talks from the conference are now made available online, for free, and have been watched more than 35 million times worldwide.

What is the TED prize?

The TED Prize was created as a way of taking the inspiration, ideas, and resources that are generated at TED and using them to make a difference in the world. The prize was introduced in 2005 and recognizes three individuals annually with the talent to change the world. It’s unlike any other award, and here’s why: Although the winners receive $100,000 — that’s the least of what they get — the real prize is that they are granted a wish. A wish to change the world. The TED Community then comes together to make that wish come true.

How amazing is that?

To get an idea of how moving and clever this will be, take a look at the world through someone else’s eyes for a minute… Tank Driver:

Very well done.  We should all take time to reflect on our common human experience.  We are all in this together.

Love, Politics event, film, global, humanism, inspiration, movement, secular, wish, world

One of the best speeches ever made… By John F. Kennedy over a generation ago.  Includes the passage:

I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute–where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote–where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference–and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.

How could we have strayed so far off course in such a short time.  When can we get back to the real United States of America?  The one without ‘God’ all over our money and tacked on to our pledge.  I guess those were simpler times, but here in 2008 we clearly have simpler people.

Politics, Religion belief, constitution, inspiration, integrity, people, secular, speech

This post is a little more coarse than my usual fare, but several links I have run across recently I feel compelled to group together and share.  Please to enjoy (or click here and enjoy a piping hot mug of STFU):

• ScienceBlog on George Carlin and his most recent act.
• One of George’s previous efforts (well done).
• OK, and just for posterity (and because it’s so damn good). 
• Careful about giving away your rights.
• Or this is where we may end up.
• Some really, really good Easter statistics.
• Did Jesus Exist?  Does it matter?

Really late here – I gotta get some sleep. 

Take care… oh, and question everything!

Atheism, Religion, Statistics ACLU, clever, free speech, freedom, George Carlin, laws, liberty, mind, profanity, reality, reason, rights, Science, thought, Video

I just completed the Belief-O-Matic(tm) on beliefnet and it is absolutely fascinating.  I answered very carefully and conscienciously based on my current beliefs with the following results.  It looks like I am 100% aligned with Secular Humanists:

The most amazing one to me was Quakers.  Who knew that Quakers were so free-thinking?  Actually, I had an idea because I recall that the early Quaker movement in the US was largely due to dissatisfaction with contemporary sects of Christianity and has become even less rigid as of late.

I have considered attending a UU church for the social and intellectual stimulation, but many of the UU blogs and web sites are frequently lamenting that UU denominations are not more “spiritual”.  That’s certainly not for me, so UUism is probably not in my future.

You should check out beliefnet.  It was even more fun to try it again with my ‘Baptist’ upbringing.  Enjoy…

Atheism, Polling, Religion, Statistics belief, humanism, quiz, secular, survey