I think I found John Shimkus tell if I ever play him in poker, he scratches his head with his right hand when he is bluffing, or tugs on his shirt. Presses his left index finder on his temple hard when he knows he has a bad hand.

63% [of Americans]- Reject Darwin's Theory of Evolution

To: Philip K. Paulson (1947-2006)
Re: Latest decision: Cross can stay

Yeah, you're dead, and as Atheists we believe that it means the end, oblivion, nothingness. But, you know how we all are all the same, reluctant to give up connections with those we are fond of.

"Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you." I think I like that formulation of the Golden Rule a bit better than the one I have heard more often, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you." For one thing, it makes it that much more difficult to justify the kind of logic that we discussed ad nauseum recently.

(cross posted at Dailykos)

Let me see if it's possible not to push the "defend Obama button" here. I know we are hours away from a pivotal moment that may decide whether Obama gets the Democratic nomination, or has to fight for it for a while longer, maybe all the way to the convention.

This diary has nothing to do with that other candidate, I forget her name.

-Washington Post Op-Ed columnist Harold Meyerson's latest anti-Christian rant Hard-liners for Jesus is beyond belief!-

First, let me say, I'm probably the last person who should be writing this rebuttal seeing as though I purposefully stay away from matters of religion due to my personal belief system. Full disclosure: I was baptized and took my first holy communion before the age of 10 in the Catholic Church. Since the age of 12 I've moved away from the church in an ongoing study of all religions and spirituality. For me, personally, organized religion doesn't work. I believe in GOD, commune with GOD regularly, and believe there's more to existence than just this mortal coil.

That being said, this hate-mongering and Christian bashing from the so-called media elite has got to be shown for what it is...Intolerance and HATE!!!

Read On...

After a bit of debate on an open thread with GoRight regarding the intersection of creationism and science, I had a bit of time to think about what he said and the points that were raised throughout the thread.

Promoted by Brendan

Recent surveys in the US have found that 40% of voters (63% of Evangelicals) would have reservations in voting for an atheist. I think part of this stems from a feeling that atheists can't be trusted.

As the election season heats up we see more examples of obviously non-religious candidates proclaiming their beliefs because of this distrust. I speculate on the reasons below.

Let's start with a common occurrence - swearing to "tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth" in a court proceeding. Such testimony is said to be given "under oath". Until fairly recently people would swear on a Bible. This makes little sense on the face of it since the US is supposed to be a secular society. In fact when a newly elected official chose to take his oath on a Koran instead it produced criticism. (I should point out that such ceremonies are only symbolic, the actual pledge is to uphold the constitution.)

This essay is from the redesigned and relaunched joshua.trevino.at -- where SC co-founder Treviño is at now. Reprinted here in its entirety (with generous permission ) from the original post .

It was the most pathetic sight in a tawdry exchange that passed for a debate : middlebrow moderator Chris Matthews asked the ten Republicans on stage an absurd question — “I’m curious, is there anybody on the stage that does not agree, believe in evolution?” Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, and Mike Huckabee raised their hands. The query was vague and ridiculous, as “belief in evolution” covers a wide range of possibilities, from atheistic randomness, to theistic purposefulness, and beyond. But it was an opportunity to show bona fides to a segment of the Republican base that is deeply interested in evolution as a bellwether for other, more profound things, and three of the ten present had the presence of mind to grasp that.

Crossposted from DailyKos . I am leaving this as a diary because it's not FP material. It was politely received on dkos.

I wrote this diary in response to perhaps a not well stated, and even an offensive question. It is not often that someone is very blunt about this but it gives me an opportunity as an American Jew to express some of my feelings on the matter.

This was the original comment that prompted me to think and write about it:

I have a serious question, one that has been on my mind for the longest.... Why is it that Jews in America, ones that were born here and no connection to Israel have more of a loyalty towards Israel than America at times? I'm a Black man, and care more about America than what happens to Africa. Just a question that I have been thinking about for awhile....

...is the recent rise of the Religious Left, as exemplified by the following story: http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_079133502.html

The governor called his campaign a "crusade," declaring that, as he sees it, he is on the side of God in offering Illinoisans more access to medical insurance and better schools. [...] “When we get sworn into office, do you know what we do?” Blagojevich said to the crowd. “We put our hand on the Holy Bible and we swear under God that we are going to do our duty for the people. And that’s what this fight is really all about – tax fairness to fund our schools and to give everyone the chance to live the American dream. This is more than a fight in Springfield. This is a crusade.”

Three well-publicized cases of Muslim activists attempting to impose sharia (Islamic) law on non-Muslims are in the news, all going on in Minnesota:

1. the case of some Somali Muslim taxi drivers at the Minneapolis Airport who refuse to take passengers who are carrying package liquor. At first the airport worked out a system of alternate lines to accommodate the drivers, but the airport is now considering rules to suspend the license of these taxi drivers. See here

2. the Minneapolis Airport is also where the so-called 6 flying imams were ordered to leave their flight after behaving suspiciously and causing commotion on the plane. They are now suing US Air for discrimination. See here

Over 80% of Americans consider themselves Christian. The one thing I read, that strikes me as truthful, is that if most Christians really truly believed in God and the Bible and Heaven, you would see a very different moral climate in this country with people tripping over each other to do good deeds, go to Church, and aspire to Christlike life instead of just mouthing empty convictions (on both the Left and the Right) and applying them to various pet issues: poverty, death penalty, abortion, homosexuality, etc. This faith, though stronger than in Europe, is so diluted and ritualized and normalized that many people don't give it much serious thought except for when they perceive one of their pet issues being threatened. Then all hackles are raised and the process of defending the faith, either via selective application of the Bible or an emotional religious appeal, begins.

Annoyingly enough, these hypocrites, of whom perhaps 5% lead fairly morally consistent (at least according to their perceived morality) lives, claim that it is only through Religion can one be moral. Well then what is morality? Morality is the knowledge of "good and evil" or the more sanitized "right and wrong".

Read on...

I've been fascinated by the Right's vision of the Left in the current war on terror, in part because it's so completely bizarre. Somehow, the left consists of virulently anti-religious folks who nonetheless love Islam, one of the most conservative religions on the planet: i.e. we want to drive all gods from the public space, but don't have a problem erecting a mosque. On top of that, the left turns women into lesbian witches, fights for the reconstruction of Sodom, and then supports sharia law.

?!

It's tough to be on the left in this environment. Somehow you have to get across the idea that Islamicism is a horrible, horrible idea while holding your own fellow citizens at bay when they go on Islamophobic tirades. The best part is, either group would be happy to eliminate these middlemen from the picture. We're an army of little Dutch boys, stuck between two bursting dykes.