"We do have a bit of a situation."

This makes my heart warm and my anger rise all at once.

http://xkcd.com/154/

Darwinism

I understand this guys point... but I kinda feel like he's missing it, too. I mean, from my experience, the only people repeatedly using the term "Darwinism" are exactly the people who are TRYING to belittle the science. No self respecting biologist, anthropologist, geneticist, etc etc would ever use the word "Darwinism" to describe the science of what they do. It's the crazy nutters who believe the world is only 6,000 years old, our ancestors were chimpanzees and dinosaur bones were put in the ground by God, who call evolutionary science "Darwinism". At any rate, an interesting piece nonetheless.

It's all in your head...

... And that's okay.

I've been passively trying to articulate the points made in this article for a while. They take a decidedly scientific approach (well, it is New Scientist), which is great on many levels, but I think at its core the points the author makes can be intuited as well. And when you're dealing with something as intangible as religion and spiritual belief, going with your gut seems pretty appropriate. Anyway, I've never been big on atheism or even agnosticism since it just seems like that's just another form of cultish belief, and for me it's more of a none issue. I don't understand religion, belief in a higher power, etc, but I've never really cared terribly much if other people do. It's when they start to push those beliefs on other people, and society at large, that I get a bit steamed. All of this is to say, I don't really care what you believe, nor am I really out there to try to disprove the existence of a higher power, but I do often think about what drives people to believe in these things. I mean, immaculate conception? An elephant headed man with 4 arms? Aliens in volcanoes??
At any rate, here's a pretty key point I've often argued without any scientific knowledge to back it up (but it felt right, and like I said, it's religion, so how're you going to argue with me?):
"The mind has another essential attribute: an overdeveloped sense of cause and effect which primes us to see purpose and design everywhere, even where there is none."

Saddlebacking Defined!

I’m a devoted Dan Savage Sex Column reader over at the Village Voice. A month ago Dan answered this question…

Dear Dan: Is "saddleback" a sex act? If not, can you define it as one? Or if it is, can you popularize it? Each time I hear about Rick Warren, I can't get past the name of his church. - Jeffy Lube

Stephen Colbert joked on his show that "saddleback" was a sex act, but he didn't define it. So I guess we'll have to. Suggested definitions can be sent to saddleback@savagelove.net.

http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-12-31/columns/is-saddleback-a-sex-act/

He published a few of his favorite answers on January 13th. Click on the link below if you want to read them…and yes you might be offended. I personally voted for #4.

http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-01-14/columns/savage-love-saddleback-is-the-new-santorum/

And finally, on Tuesday, January 27th, Dan defined the term (and why it’s a ridiculous idea and dangerous act) here…

http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-01-28/columns/why-do-men-wear-socks-in-porn-plus-saddlebacking-defined/2

AND gave it a website!

http://saddlebacking.com/

I think this man is brilliant, and I am going to try and use this word whenever I can.

You call it prayer, I call it talking to yourself

“The free exercise clause of the First Amendment protects religious belief, but not necessarily conduct.”

This has been reported in the news since it first happened, and it's happened before, so it's not necessarily surprising, but this just goes to show how dangerous blind faith in religion is. Remember that study years ago that showed that prayer can help heal heart patients? Well, uh, I think this pretty much debunks that. Entirely.

Part of me feels like this could actually be looked at as weeding out all the nutters in some weird moderately ironic form of Darwinism (if they don't get medical care, they'll kill themselves out of existence), but it's hard to even jokingly justify that considering an 11-year-old is dead as a result. I mean, you don't believe in anything but God's power to heal, fine, don't go to a doctor, but don't keep your child from going to the doctor, you crazy fucking religious nutbar.