PROGRESSIVE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM: “Trump Vows to ‘Totally Destroy’ the Barrier Between Church and State” / The Humanist Report / Mike Figueredo ☮

At the National Prayer Breakfast President Trump vowed to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment, which maintains a barrier between churches and politicians. Undoing this amendment would allow religious organizations and churches to bribe politicians in the same way multinational corporations do by lobbying them and contributing to their political campaigns. It would move us down the path towards a theocracy—and it can’t stand.

ENLIGHTENMENT: “What is Enlightenment? – Nonduality Consciousness Explained” / The Diamond Net / Emerald ☮

What is enlightenment? This video is all about spiritual enlightenment and waking up to the truth of your own nature. In this video, I give a basic description of what enlightenment is.

PROGRESSIVE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM: “The Power of Political Cartoons with Mr. Fish” / RT America / On Contact with Chris Hedges ☮

On this week’s episode of On Contact, Chris Hedges discusses the influence of editorial cartoons and the plight of the artists who make them with political cartoonist Dwayne Booth, also known as Mr. Fish. RT Correspondent Anya Parampil explores what we have done to dissident artists throughout American history.

PROGRESSIVE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM: “Neil deGrasse Tyson: America’s Lack of Scientific Knowledge is Dangerous” / Ring of Fire / Farron Cousins ☮

Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of the most famous and outspoken scientists in the United States, told a sold out crowd in North Carolina that the lack of emphasis on the sciences, as well as the political assault on science, is creating a dangerous epidemic in the U.S. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

PROGRESSIVE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM: “Pat Robertson: Climate Science is a Fundamentalist Religion” / Secular Talk / Kyle Kulinski ☮

While more news came out today about the planet’s warming temperatures, Pat Robertson declared on “The 700 Club” that the earth may actually be cooling.

Robertson, while discussing Scott Pruitt, Trump’s climate-skeptic nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, attacked climate scientists and those who believe their findings about human influence on the climate.

PROGRESSIVE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM: “The Soldiers of Odin: Inside Canada’s Extremist Vigilante Group” / VICE News / Ben Makuch ☮

VICE News investigates the Soldiers of Odin and their declared commitment to preserving Canadian values. Amid rising Islamophobia and violence in Canada, reporter Ben Makuch explores the blurry line between nationalist pride and racist rhetoric.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES: “Colbert on Religion” / ReligionForBreakfast / Andrew Henry ☮

I’ve watched a lot of Stephen Colbert over the years. When you watch enough of one TV show, you start to notice patterns. For Colbert, I noticed he talks about religion a lot…at least more than other late night TV shows. What can we learn about this?