Following on from the post yesterday about the differences between religious and secular faith, Greta Christina has another excellent post that addresses this issue. I’m not quite in agreement with the mainstream atheist crowd on much of the dogma of not believing (frankly, because I don’t think there should be a dogma – it’s more about being able to separate reality from myth, but I digress.)
The thing I appreciate about Greta’s take on this issue is: whatever conclusion you draw about religious faith, people aren’t consistent in their day-to-day lives and everyone, I mean everyone, has at least one area of irrational belief. So, to borrow a phrase from the Bronze Age myth book “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.”
05.06.08 |Permalink|Comments Off on NY Times Catches Up With MftC
Watch this short video:
After my hilarious and rousing rendition of Pastors Gone Wild, the NY Times has chosen to weigh in on the matter. And, as I indicated, McCain is getting a free pass from seeking out the endorsement of John Hagee, right-wingnut preacher from Texas. Admittedly, he’s not nearly as engaging as Jeremiah Wright nor does his invective stir the emotions as effectively, but his message is every bit as hateful and off-the-wall as Wright’s.
Why then, does McCain get a pass? Read the NY Times OpEd piece, it’s very enlightening. And NY Times, how about a back link to Pastors Gone Wild?
This question is important and becoming all the more so since there is a growing portion of our population that blindly believes Bronze Age myths due to the notion of “faith.” I could wax rhapsodic on this subject for hours. Rather than do that, I’d like to share an entry from Greta Christina’s blog which is a very articulate and accurate description of religious faith contrasted with secular faith.
The net of this is, secular faith is a rational trust developed over time with evidence. It is not absolute and can be reshaped, or even lost, as the situation changes. Religious faith is a different animal, it’s about being absolutely convinced of the presence of a deity and giving up one’s life, thoughts, and soul to that entity in exchange for ever-lasting life in paradise.
Go read Greta’s blog, it’s much more articulate and rich in context than this abridged version.
Just when Fox News, the show advertised as “fair and balanced,” seems to be ebbing in influence, we get two more “news” programs that the FCC has inexplicably now termed as news: Fox’s TMZ and the Christian Broadcast Network’s 700 Club.
Ever since the 1988 ruling by the FCC that Entertainment Tonight was news things have gone downhill. It’s no longer news we’re seeing, it’s entertainment and opinions (largely ignorant and tuned to create controversy.) At least The Daily Show has humor with it’s opinions – my guess is that will be ruled news before you know it.
If you haven’t seen the movie Idiocracy yet, go rent it. I stipulate, it’s a stupid, over-the-top parody of our (future) world, but somehow it seems less over-the-top with each passing day. I can’t help but wonder when the reality show “Ow, My Balls!” will appear on prime time…
Meanwhile, brace yourself for more Brittany Spears coverage (pun intended) from TMZ and breaking news on the “scientific breakthroughs” on intelligent design uncovered by cracking the bible codes reported live on the 700 Club. It’s true, there is a silver lining in every cloud, at least I’ll have more blog fodder!
Yesterday Microsoft walked away from the deal that would have combined the companies at a price tag of around $46B. I love Yahoo, I use My Yahoo as my start page (and have for years and years.) I think Yahoo does some great stuff, but $46B was a big premium over intrinsic value for the company.
If you’re a Microsoft share holder, you should breathe a sigh of relief that management did exactly the right thing in this instance: walk away. If Microsoft waits on this one, they’re still going to be able to buy Yahoo, but at a lower price (this is making a bet that Yahoo will not execute their business plan and grow profitably.)
If you’re a Yahoo shareholder, you’d best hope the company executes. It can be worth what Microsoft bid, but it’s not today and that’s the simple truth. For now, shareholders should be prepared for a ride back toward what the intrinsic value of the issue rather than the bid inflated price. Hope you cashed in whilst you could.
