Will Durant (November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) Writer, Historian, and Philosopher
Ariel Durant (10 May 1898 — 25 October 1981) Co-Author
Husband and wife co-authors of the eleven volume work, The Story of Civilization
All autobiography, of course, is vanity.
NEXT month – on September 17 – a large-scale protest by secular groups against the Vatican’s persistent interference in politics is due to take place in London . . . Marco Tranchino, who is organising the Secular Europe Campaign, said: We want a secular Europe where there is room for everyone, whether they have a religious belief or not, where policy is directed only by elected politicians, not by priests who are answerable to no-one. Read more . . .
Our Constitution protects citizens from having religion forced upon them, meaning no individual should have to subsidize anyone else’s religious organization through their tax dollars. As federal lawmakers consider ways to reduce our country’s deficit, these costly tax privileges for ministers should be among the first programs put on the chopping block. Read more . . .
The sole purpose of creationism is to defend the biblical book of Genesis. It exists only for religious purposes and it abandons anything that even remotely approaching scientific research. Creationism is an insult to the collective of human intelligence. Living a life according to myths and fairy tales is nothing short of childish and those who would cause detriment to the proper education of our children amount to little more than the “blind leading the blind” and they should have no place in deciding who is taught anything. Read more . . .
. . . [G]iven all the current brouhaha over what should be cut from the federal budget, people might be interested to see some of examples of how the DoD is spending countless millions of taxpayer dollars every year to Christianize the military . . . [T]he rampant promotion of evangelical Christianity under the guise of Spiritual Fitness is going on in all branches of the military . . . Evangelizing the children of service members is one of the largest areas of spending . . . One of the reasons given by Cadence for the success of its “Strategic Ministry” is: “Deployment and possibly deadly combat are ever-present possibilities. They are shaken. Shaken people are usually more ready to hear about God than those who are at ease, making them more responsive to the gospel.” Read more . . .
I am currently reading Saul D. Alinsky’s, 1971, “Rules For Radicals,” (Conservatives run for cover, be afraid, be very afraid! This book is like a gateway drug; the next thing you know, I will pick up “Fugitive Days: Memoirs of an Anti-War Activist,” by Bill Ayers. After that it’s “turtles all the way down.” Ask your local atheist what the hell that turtles thing was all about.) Alright, I’m back, it happens okay, son of a . . . Anyhow, three pages into the fifth chapter titled, “Communication,” Mr. Alinsky addresses a fundamental (Conservatives, the word was fundamental, not fundamentalist, don’t worry, the Islamofascists are not coming to get you, no need to run to Wal-Mart to load up on ammo; just sit back, relax, and sound out the words that follow. I am writing this slowly so you may be able to keep up.) As I was saying, Mr. Alinsky addresses a fundamental principle of effective communication concerning the sharing of certain experiences familiar to all. He shares an interesting story that addresses the unique lenses from which each of us view life. I thought I would share it with you, it reads as follows: [MSH]
Always Question Authority 