Four things that got my attention today
1: T-shirt on campus: “If you weren’t wasted all evening then you wasted the evening”
(Hey kids, you need to know; alcohol in excess is a destroyer. No joke: Every year I see young people’s lives ruined forever by an alcohol-related accident, fight, or rape. So have a beer. Have two. Stop there.)
2: Some of the conservatives on my blogroll are congratulating themselves with the notion that atheists weren’t lining up to help the Katrina relief effort. How do you know – did you ask all of them? I’m an atheist but I gave my donation to Mennonite Disaster relief because – I know this is wierd – they’re good at disaster relief.
I can’t go to Louisiana, so I’m glad to see anyone helping out. Not everyone thinks changing bandages or delivering supplies is the best time to discuss religion – or lack of religion.
3: Good quote from The Daily Show’s Evolution, Schmevolution series:
“Basically, Intelligent Design is the idea that life on earth is too complex to have evolved without a guiding hand. We’re not saying it’s God; just someone with the basic skill set to create an entire universe.”
Yes, kiddies; ‘Intelligent Design’ is really just Creationism in drag.
4: And one from a few years ago; a different time but similar genius:
Everything is changing. People are taking the comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.
- Will Rogers
Yep, I am an agnostic deist and I donated my bucks to the Salvation Army-because they do good work with the resources they have. It is not about who is religious and who worships a deity but who is willing to pitch in and help. And if god caused the hurricane then it is god I want no part of.
Some of the conservatives on my blogroll are congratulating themselves with the notion that atheists weren’t lining up to help the Katrina relief effort.
And here I thought that (a) prayerful work ought to be done in private so that there’s no risk of being boastful, and (b) outwardly helping others is no sign of virtue (“even the pagans do it”).
Or at least I seem to recall someone named Jesus saying something along those lines.
Well, Jesus said lots of impractical stuff. You know, like loving your enemies, praying for them, heaping coals of kindness on them, and so forth. But American Christians (at least, the loud ones) have pretty much gotten over that.
I’m an atheist, and I gave to the Red Cross for Katrina. I had just given blood, too. I resent having to say stuff like this just to be seen as human by a bunch of “christian” bigots (bigoted towards non-believers, certainly). You don’t have to be motivated by fear of punishment by the angry sky-god to be kind and charitable towards those in need, fer cryin’ out loud.
Conservative observations:
1) Wisdom is gained through pain, unfortunately, the young thing they know it all
2) Understand 2 things:
A) some of the most efficent and motivated relief agencies are organized by churches
B) Menonites follow a strict post-Lutheran religious example which applies to all aspects of their life and are arguably a religious group…
3) Creationism in drag? You can do so much better than that! My favorite come back to Creationists is to have them research the genetic origination of flowers…
4) Yes, Will Rogers was an amazingly insightful man
Well something tells me that young person is going to experience quite a bit of pain in the coming years, but whether he’ll acquire wisdom from it is up for grabs – heh.
The Mennonites are not only arguably, but explicitly a religious group! That didn’t bother me at all – I donated to them because (as you said) they are good at disaster relief. Their religion is the reason for their work, but not the objective of it, if that makes any sense.