I have been looking for a simple reference to cover the basic ideas of God’s existence and found this handy reference.
http://www.400monkeys.com/God/
Use it frequently and try to commit as much as you can to memory. It should be helpful as you continue to pursue truth and good in life.
Best of luck!
I have always liked Jeff Atwood’s blog. I really appreciated his latest post. I have seen the Project Xanadu list many times, but it’s always nice to see a refresher… it’s that important and that thought provoking.
Most importantly are Ted Nelson’s four maxims:
Here is a very cool screenshot of Project Xanadu showing the Bible cross referenced with myriad other sources:
Thanks for the post, Jeff. Keep up the excellent work.
Taisha Jones, M.S., a 5th year clinical psychology graduate student at Saint Louis University, is inviting you to participate in this research study that is being conducted online, under the direction of Dr. Honore Hughes, Research Chairperson/Advisor at Saint Louis University.
The title of this study is Coping Strategies and Adjustment. The purpose of this study is to examine various ways in which people use individual coping strategies, including non-religious and religious ways, to facilitate overall life satisfaction and adjustment.
Your participation in this study is confidential and will involve completing a series of brief questionnaires to assess coping and problem-solving strategies. Participation will entail completing brief surveys and a demographic questionnaire that are available online at http:www.surveymonkey.com. There are no right or wrong answers in the surveys, so please be as honest as possible in responding to the individual items. Please be sure to respond to all survey items. Your participation will require at least 10 minutes of your time, but likely no longer than 30 minutes. In appreciation of your time, a monetary donation of $5 will be donated to a charity that you will specify at the end of the study as your preference to receive the donation.
The results of this study may be published in scientific research journals or presented at professional conferences. However, your name and identity will not be revealed and your record will remain anonymous. To protect your anonymity, no identifying information will be collected.
Participation in this study does not have a direct benefit to participants. While it is hopeful that you may gain insight from participation, it is not a guarantee. Participants may increase their knowledge of individual coping skills and problem-solving strategies. This might allow participants to become aware of various coping strategies and gain a better understanding of what strategies might be available. However, participation may benefit others as a small monetary donation will be made to a charitable/service organization that group members may select (e.g., Habitat for Humanity).
The risks to you as a participant are minimal. These risks may include mild boredom and/or discomfort with responding to sensitive items that probe for religiousness and/or lack of religiousness, as well as psychological adjustment.
They requested that I post this:
Hello to all,
I am writing to request your participation in my dissertation study “Coping and Adjustment.” In exchange for your participation, I will be donating $5 to a charitable organization of your choice. The choices are included at the end of the study. The study examines various ways in which people cope with stressors (including religious and non-religious ways) and how these relate to one’s happiness and life satisfaction. Additional information including final results can be obtained after the study. Thus far, participation has included individuals with religious/faith-based beliefs and those without such beliefs. My goal is to obtain representation from several individuals and groups that include varying ages, gender, religious affliations, social abilities, intellectual abilities, and so forth. Please consider participating in the study and please forward this to everyone that you think may wish to contribute by participating. Please remember, your participation is voluntary and that the study completion time is not expected to exceed 30min. Study completion time has been around 10-30 minutes.
You can access the study at the following link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=wp5LFvjXAooMReVkqxwaaw_3d_3d.
For any additional questions or information, please see webpage or contact the researcher at copingandadjustment@gmail.com or copingandadjustment@yahoo.com.
Mr. Buckner, thank you for giving a thoughtful, intelligent “invocation” at the recent Cobb County Commission meeting. Well done.
Atheist gives invocation at Cobb meeting
By MARCUS K. GARNER
9:11 a.m. Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionNo need to bow your heads, folks.
That’s what Smyrna atheist Edward Buckner told people before leading the invocation Tuesday night at the Cobb County Board of Commissioners meeting.
“It’s actually a protest against invocations,” the president of American Atheists said Wednesday night. “My goal is to get them to stop doing invocations.”
County board of commissioners chairman Sam Olens, reached by phone Wednesday night, said he was offended by Buckner’s actions.
“Did I find his comments repugnant and insulting? Yes,” Olens said. “He abused the process by giving an opinion … rather than providing inspiration.”
What Buckner did was thumb his nose at what he believed was an unconstitutional cross-section of religion and government, he admitted in his words Tuesday night.
Rather than any form of deity, he invoked “the 700,000 people who live in this county — especially the majority (yes, over half) of those 700,000 who are not members of any church, mosque, temple, or other religious organization,” he said.
“I speak as well for those political leaders who despair that success in politics cannot be achieved without hypocritical piety from politicians and who would prefer to run for office and to govern based on competence and political philosophy rather than on beliefs, real or pretended, in any supernatural beings.”
Olens, a candidate for state Attorney General, said he was surprised by Buckner’s tirade.
“I expected that it would be in the context of inspiration,” Olens said.
Buckner said he was disappointed that Olens made a “disclaimer” before he spoke, saying that federal law requires the county to let anyone who signs up make an invocation.
“This county is pro-religion and they act like anybody who isn’t is a second class citizen,” Buckner said.
Buckner is no stranger to protesting religion in government.
In 2005, he was one of seven Cobb residents who with the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit to halt the practice of invocations before board of commissioners’ and planning commission’s meetings.
But last year, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed in a 2-1 ruling with a lawsuit’s contention that the Constitution permits only nonsectarian prayers.
And earlier this month, Buckner spoke out during public comment against the commissioners’ approval of a plan by the county’s development authority to issue up to $14 million in bonds to lend to North Cobb Christian School for renovations.
Olens said the county received an E-mail from Buckner requesting to do an invocation, and allowed it because of First Amendment laws.
“Had I stopped him before he started, he then would’ve had a federal action against the county,” Olens said. “That’s the price you pay for being American.”
Buckner had this to say for those he may have offended.
“Join me in asking Cobb County to stop having invocations,” he said.
Full video of the event here with a backup link here. Thank you to the Cobb County Commission for being respectful and polite during the proceedings. It’s just too bad that Olens is so chagrined by his fellow citizens exercising their rights that he had to go on record after the fact as being offended. The price you pay…? What an asshole…
Loved the smattering of applause at the end. I only wish I knew what Ed said in place of “under God” during the pledge… it obviously was not “under God”. Cheers, Ed.
