Shocking Conclusions (Not)

The argument is that Islamic tradition has been gradually hijacked by various -
often conservative - cultures, seeking to use the religion for various forms of
social control.

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7264903.stm, an article on Turkey's efforts to reform Islam by reinterpreting the "hadiths," or jettisoning those which historical analysis suggests are redactions.

Religion, interpreted creatively, as a means of SOCIAL CONTROL! Say it ain't so!

A Moment of Clarity

I've always been baffled at the theocratic right's implicit assumption that the bible rather than the Constitution should be the supreme law of the land, despite the fact that our nation was clearly founded as a secular state.

However, I never thought a credible candidate for high office would be so foolish as to explicitly state this assertion. Thanks, Mike Huckabee, for making it clear that you are a theocrat.

Excellent New Book from the National Academies

Although the introduction soft-pedals a bit by claiming that evolution and religion are not incompatible, this is still an excellent book, available as a free PDF. Personally, the realization that humans are yet another evolved species certainly helped me on my way to atheism.

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Read this FREE online! PDF Summary