How Would the Pope Self-Flagellate?	gods
Link #149421 submitted by johnny2000 on Jan 29, 2010 03:02am.   (+350XP) http://www.slate.com/id/2242715
A new book about Pope John Paul II alleges that the pope engaged in self-flagellation in order to feel closer to God. Does Catholicism teach a proper way to whip yourself?     went to a jesuit college for 4 years in the early 70s, where most of the 60+ padres took a delight in these activities! left the whole religion bullsh*t right after finishing my exams there Comments: 0   Hits: 89   Points: 37266   Rating: 10.0 / 5   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church	gods
Link #149189 submitted by johnny2000 on Jan 14, 2010 05:36am.   (+200XP) http://www.coltranechurch.org
Founders Archbishop Franzo King and Reverend Mother Marina King began this work in 1971 under the name of “One Mind Temple Evolutionary Transitional Body of Christ.” The inspiration came after the young couple had seen John Coltrane perform live in San Francisco in the year 1965. Being raised in the Pentecostal Church, Franzo King knew the presence of the Lord when it came through the power of the Holy Ghost. Seeing John Coltrane and hearing his sound that night was that familiar feeling he knew since childhood. It was the presence of God. Archbishop King refers to this as a “sound baptism” which touched their hearts and minds. Further investigation into this man proved him to be not just a “jazz musician” but one who was chosen to guide souls back to God.     As far as I can tell, this is entirely serious. Comments: 0   Hits: 67   Points: 87   Vote Now!   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

How Should We Think About Selling Jesus?	gods
Link #148897 submitted by dorian on Dec 23, 2009 08:09am.   (+280XP) http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/church/features/18920-selling-j...
Imagine you've just walked into a Christian bookstore for the first time. What do you see? There's the Bible section—lots of different versions, translations and niche-Bibles for various subcultures, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary. There's the shelves of theological books, with everyone from Walvoord to NT Wright making their cases. There's the fiction section with the expected Left Behinds and the Jesus-y romance books, but there are probably even some diamonds in the rough here. And then your eye trails to the apparel section. And you start to recognize logos ... but then realize "Starbucks" has been replaced by "Sacrificed for Me" and "Myspace" is written as "Myspace in Heaven is Secure."     Sure you've just seen some isolated examples, you keep looking around, and notice some other disturbing things. Is that a copy of Chicken Soup for the Cat-Loving Single Woman with Two Cars and a Condo in Montpelier? Is that a bracelet taking Jeremiah 29:11 out of context? And ... is that a painting of Jesus in front of an American flag?     Congratulations! You've just discovered "Jesus junk" mixed in with the other stuff.   Comments: 3   Hits: 190   Points: 198   Vote Now!   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Greg Epstein, Atheist Superstar	gods
Link #148895 submitted by dorian on Dec 23, 2009 08:05am.   (+370XP) http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Life/93405-Greg-Epstein-Atheist-Superstar
Once an intellectual taboo, atheism has become one of the great growth industries of the third millennium. Combative atheist titles like Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great, Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion, and Sam Harris's The End of Faith become New York Times bestsellers; faith-bashing films like Bill Maher's documentary Religulous and Ricky Gervais's comedy The Invention of Lying perform respectably at the box office; a Trinity College study predicts that nonreligious Americans (including atheists and milder skeptics such as agnostics) will comprise 25 percent of the populace by 2029. Factor in President Barack Obama's inaugural nod to "nonbelievers," which followed earlier shout-outs from former president George W. Bush(!), and suddenly atheism looks like an improbable cultural juggernaut.     Enter Greg Epstein, Humanist chaplain at Harvard University and author of the just-published Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe (William Morrow). Depending on your perspective, Epstein — a youthful ex-rocker from Flushing, Queens, who boasts graduate degrees from both the University of Michigan and Harvard Divinity School — is either a combatant in this brewing civil war or a peacemaker who could save atheism from itself.     Tonally, Epstein's divergence from the New Atheists is sharp: he dreams not of decisively crushing faith, but of a future in which the godless and godly cozily co-exist, respecting each other's convictions and even making common cause on issues of mutual concern. Comments: 1   Hits: 122   Points: 169   Rating: 9.4 / 5   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

The ten worst verses of the Bible	gods
Link #148894 submitted by dorian on Dec 23, 2009 08:00am.   (+540XP) http://shipoffools.com/features/2009/chapter_and_worse_results.html
Lord, ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. Ship of Fools can finally and authoritatively reveal the worst verse in the Bible, according to our readers.     The verse is ascribed to – who'd have thought it – St Paul, and if you'll turn with me in your Bibles you'll find it in 1 Timothy: Comments: 0   Hits: 375   Points: 464   Rating: 9.8 / 9   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Sex and the Scientologist: From the Desk of L. Ron Hubbard	gods
Link #148812 submitted by johnny2000 on Dec 18, 2009 05:50am.   (+250XP) http://gawker.com/5425730/from-the-desk-of-l-ron-hubbard
We have got hold of some of the original memos that L. Ron Hubbard passed down in the early days of Scientology — they are still revered today as a foundation for the cult. Today: L. Ron on sex!     The source of these memos refused to reveal how she came across them. But the dates and addresses on the documents correspond to the period when Hubbard had formalised Scientology as a religion and had founded a sinister commune at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead in the south of England called the Sea Org — with a hierarchy based on the navy. Which is why Hubbard signs each one as "L. RON HUBBARD COMMODORE" (Capitalization his.)     A little background to help get through the jargon in today's memos. (If we miss anything, there's a fully glossary of the bizarre terms here.) The cult divides its teachings into eight 'dynamics': 1) the self; 2) sex and the family; 3) groups; 4) humankind as a whole; 5) life forms (including animals and plants); 6) the physical universe; 7) the spiritual and 8) infinity. The two documents here come from the Second Dynamic — sex and the family. Not safe for work. Comments: 0   Hits: 231   Points: 266   Rating: 8.7 / 4   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Pew Forum: Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths	gods
Link #148739 submitted by Mac on Dec 14, 2009 05:36am.   (+320XP) http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=490
The religious beliefs and practices of Americans do not fit neatly into conventional categories. A new poll by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that large numbers of Americans engage in multiple religious practices, mixing elements of diverse traditions. Many say they attend worship services of more than one faith or denomination -- even when they are not traveling or going to special events like weddings and funerals. Many also blend Christianity with Eastern or New Age beliefs such as reincarnation, astrology and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects. And sizeable minorities of all major U.S. religious groups say they have experienced supernatural phenomena, such as being in touch with the dead or with ghosts.     Compared with those with a college degree, more Americans with a high school education or less report having felt in touch with a dead person (32% vs. 24%) and having seen a ghost (21% vs. 13%). However, Americans with less education are no more inclined to have consulted a fortuneteller than are Americans with a college education (13% vs. 17%). Conservatives and Republicans report fewer experiences than liberals or Democrats communicating with the dead, seeing ghosts and consulting fortunetellers or psychics. Comments: 3   Hits: 178   Points: 195   Vote Now!   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Australia mulls Scientology probe	gods
Link #148529 submitted by johnny2000 on Nov 18, 2009 09:24am.   (+350XP) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8365606.stm
The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has said he will consider calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the Church of Scientology.     But he said the evidence must be looked at carefully before proceeding.     Senator Nick Xenophon launched a scathing attack on Scientology, citing letters from former followers alleging extensive criminal activity.     He tabled seven letters from former Scientologists who he said were willing to co-operate with New South Wales and Australian federal police.     "The letters received by me which were written by former followers in Australia, contain extensive allegations of crimes and abuses which are truly shocking," he said, citing other letters from people who prefer to stay anonymous. Comments: 1   Hits: 137   Points: 182   Rating: 9.0 / 5   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Which Religion Should I Follow?	gods
Link #148527 submitted by johnny2000 on Nov 18, 2009 09:20am.   (+240XP) http://friendlyatheist.com/2009/10/21/which-religion-should-i-follow
This flowchart explains all :) Comments: 0   Hits: 403   Points: 442   Rating: 7.7 / 5   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

The Life And Death Of The Death Of God	gods
Link #148444 submitted by johnny2000 on Nov 12, 2009 09:55am.   (+170XP) http://www.obit-mag.com/articles/the-life-and-death-of-the-death-of...
It was a recipe for the easiest headline ever: "Death of God Guy Dies." John T. Elson, who passed away on Sept. 7, was a journalist best known for penning the story behind Time magazine’s wildly controversial cover in April 1966, which asked, in bold red letters over a black backdrop, "Is God Dead?" The issue became one of the best selling in the magazine's history and sent American religion spiraling into an identity crisis.     His article represented the zenith of what may be the last theological craze in history, the mortal gasp of a time when academic theology still qualified as headline-worthy. It announced the "death of God" movement, a group of rambunctious young professors who made it their business to turn Nietzsche's proclamation of the deity's demise from frightful blasphemy into the basis of a new kind of faith. They had media savvy that today's theologians have long forgotten, save for the megachurch superstars; one of them, William Hamilton, even had his own TV show on CBS. He considered all the hype and brash rhetoric part of the movement's necessary "journalistic phase," which would shake the foundations of the culture, clearing the way for their subtler ideas to transform it. Comments: 0   Hits: 211   Points: 233   Rating: 7.3 / 3   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Globally, Religion Defies Easily Identified Patterns	gods
Link #148373 submitted by johnny2000 on Nov 9, 2009 03:03am.   (+110XP) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/us/24beliefs.html
On Friday, the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago released what it described as “the most comprehensive analysis to date of global religious trends.” Anyone studying its 9,000-word analysis and perusing 330 additional pages of references and tables will be quickly disabused of the idea that the currents of religious belief and practice are flowing in one or two or even a half-dozen clear directions.     The United States, as often noted, remains unusually religious among advanced industrial nations. Nearly 6 out of 10 Americans pray one or more times each day; high percentages report feeling close to God, experiencing God’s presence or guidance on most days. Faith in God, they say, is “very important” in their lives.   Nonetheless, belief in God has slipped a little, and more Americans, though still believing, acknowledge some uncertainty about God’s existence. A growing number of Americans no longer identify themselves with any particular religious group. Those who do belong are less likely to say they are strong members. Regular attendance at religious services has declined, and the numbers never worshiping have increased.   Yet more Americans believe in a life after death and pray daily than in the 1970s. And to complicate things, most of these trends have had their ups and downs, leaving open the possibility of future spurts or reversals.   “The tilt of religious change in the United States over the last half century has clearly been in the secular direction,” the report concludes, “but the pattern is complex and nuanced.” Comments: 0   Hits: 183   Points: 189   Vote Now!   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Churches For Sale	gods
Link #148359 submitted by AB on Nov 7, 2009 01:02pm.   (+100XP) http://www.loopnet.com/Churches-For-Sale
Real estate listings of various religious facilities for sale.     via Overcompensating Comments: 0   Hits: 363   Points: 363   Vote Now!   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Manufacturing belief	gods
Link #148317 submitted by johnny2000 on Nov 5, 2009 06:45am.   (+220XP) http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/05/15/lewis_wolpert/?source...
In Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass," Alice tells the White Queen that she cannot believe in impossible things. But the Queen says Alice simply hasn't had enough practice. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." That human penchant for belief -- or perhaps gullibility -- is what inspired biologist Lewis Wolpert to write a book about the evolutionary origins of belief called "Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast."     Wolpert is an eminent developmental biologist at University College London. Like fellow British scientist Richard Dawkins, he's an outspoken atheist with a knack for saying outrageous things. Unlike Dawkins, Wolpert has no desire to abolish religion. In fact, he thinks religious belief can provide great comfort and points to medical studies showing that the faithful tend to suffer less stress and anxiety than nonbelievers. In Wolpert's view, religion has given believers an evolutionary advantage, even though it's based on a grand illusion.     He has a theory for why religion first took root. He thinks human brains evolved to become "belief engines." Once our ancient ancestors understood cause and effect, they figured out how to manipulate the natural world. In essence, toolmaking made us human. Similarly, early hominids felt compelled to find causes for life's great mysteries, including illness and death. They came to believe in unseen gods and spirits.     Why Do We Believe Impossible Things? Comments: 0   Hits: 162   Points: 189   Rating: 9.0 / 3   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

The Exile of Satan from Heavy Metal Design	gods
Link #148256 submitted by angrydroid on Nov 2, 2009 02:25pm.   (+800XP) http://www.printmag.com/Article/The-Exile-of-Satan-from-Heavy-Metal...
Those "heavy metal" bands that debuted during that first palmy MTV generation sound like nontoxic pop compared to today’s vast offerings of subaltern metal genres, where intricate is the new heavy, and glacially slow is far more radical than hyperfast. Comments: 11   Hits: 244   Points: 289   Rating: 9.0 / 5   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

Matrix producer plans Muhammad biopic	gods
Link #148254 submitted by downroot on Nov 2, 2009 11:59am.   (+460XP) http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/nov/02/matrix-producer-plans-mu...
Producer Barrie Osborne cast Keanu Reeves as the messiah in The Matrix and helped defeat the dark lord Sauron in his record-breaking Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now the Oscar-winning American film-maker is set to embark on his most perilous quest to date: making a big-screen biopic of the prophet Muhammad.     this should be fun. Comments: 5   Hits: 202   Points: 238   Rating: 7.2 / 5   [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

1 2 3 4 5 6 Next