http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:33:57 -0700 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:10:52 -0700 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Why-is-God-such-a-Hater?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner Christianity has always been an angry religion, and it became undeniably obvious during the 9-12 March in Washington D. C. The profoundly disturbing images of hatred, anger and bigotry coming out that gathering were unsettling on a level that can&rsq... Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:10:52 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Why-is-God-such-a-Hater?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m9d14-Theres-no-such-thing-as-JudeoChristian?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner There’s a term that has been getting a lot of mileage lately as moralists and fundamentalists and other moral crusaders, and it deserves a second look. That term is Judeo-Christian. More expressly, the Judeo-Christian ethic. This term is especi... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:34:46 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m9d14-Theres-no-such-thing-as-JudeoChristian?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m9d9-Why-Does-Religion-Matter-or-Does-It?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner It’s a unique age the human species finds itself in, straddling the precipice of evolution and technology. It was only a few years ago that we thought the world was flat and that the sun, moon, and stars revolved around the Earth. Thanks to sci... Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:54:44 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m9d9-Why-Does-Religion-Matter-or-Does-It?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m7d1-Blind-Faith-Part-IV?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner It seems that many people use the term faith to get something they want, such as preachers using faith to coerce their parishioners to give them money or politicians using faith to garner more votes. Many people (if not most of us) use the term faith... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:39:05 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m7d1-Blind-Faith-Part-IV?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d29-Blind-Faith-Part-III?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner In our last post we discussed the hierarchy of beliefs and how they structure themselves. We discussed where they ‘reside’ and the fact that they’re based on perception not fact. We’re going to take a deeper look at that, all ... Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:52:09 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d29-Blind-Faith-Part-III?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d25-Blind-Faith-Part-II?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner In the last post we began the discussion on faith and whether or not faith is actually a belief or is it something else. We’re also asking the question “is faith blind?” To answer these questions we first have to discuss beliefs and... Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:59:08 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d25-Blind-Faith-Part-II?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d23-Blind-Faith-Part-I?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner There’s a lot of talk in spiritual and religious circles about this thing called faith. It seems that faith is required for everything from happiness to health to this thing called abundance or prosperity. And when the preacher or teacher can o... faith belief blind faith Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:47:18 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d23-Blind-Faith-Part-I?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d20-Are-we-Gullible?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner These are different times, it seems, than any we’ve known before. There are no longer restrictions on what we ‘are allowed’ to believe, and we as a population are more educated than ever. Information travels at the speed of light, a... Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:36:00 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d8-Are-we-Gullible?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d2-Fear-not-faith?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner The Internet, the media, and the blogosphere are buzzing with the story of Dr. George Tiller, the so-called abortion doctor who was shot dead in his own church. When I first heard the story I was profoundly troubled. I couldn’t do anything but ... Relativism fear vs faith Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:59:39 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m6d2-Fear-not-faith?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d25-What-is-Morality-Anyway?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner Apparently, we have entered the worst period ever in the history of the Earth regarding morality. Some claim that there is a clear distinction between right and wrong, and that if we choose to cross that line (which they believe we already have), the... morality Mon, 25 May 2009 17:15:48 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d25-What-is-Morality-Anyway?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d22-The-Meaning-of-Spirituality?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner A while back I posted an article on atheism in which I said that I believed atheism was also a spiritual path. I talked about spirituality as being about searching for our connection to this thing called the Universe, and that all of us were, in one ... Fri, 22 May 2009 17:48:42 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d22-The-Meaning-of-Spirituality?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d19-Is-Relativism-Okay?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner I remember the first time someone disagreed with me. I was very young at the time, and it was so completely shocking. I had put a lot of thought into formulating my opinion, so when I proudly proclaimed my idea, and I was corrected, I took it to mean... Relativism Tue, 19 May 2009 17:21:11 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d19-Is-Relativism-Okay?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d16-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be-Part-III?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner In my last post I talked about the ways in which religion is a structured form of Thanatos. In this post I’m going to talk about what that means, and its implications and what we can do about it.Because we are human projectors, we have decided ... Sat, 16 May 2009 18:08:41 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d16-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be-Part-III?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d14-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be-Part-II?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner In my last post I talked about the concept of Thanatos, and that juxtaposition that we have between the need to protect ourselves, and the need to destroy ourselves. In this post I’m going to explore how religion is an organized form of Thanato... Thu, 14 May 2009 16:06:11 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d14-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be-Part-II?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d11-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner I recently revisited a concept that I had previously read about. This is a concept called Thanatos. This concept was introduced by Sigmund Freud and he mused that along with our survival instinct, human beings also have working at the exact same time... Thanatos Eros Thanatos vs. Eros Mon, 11 May 2009 16:51:51 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d11-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d9-Why-Spiritual-Communities-Meet?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner We all consider ourselves part of something. We’re Americans, Washingtonians, Seattleites— Beyond that we have families, religions, work, and organizations. Some of us even go so far as to identify ourselves by the communities in which we... community Sat, 09 May 2009 19:59:27 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d9-Why-Spiritual-Communities-Meet?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d6-Being-There?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner I was at a mall department store doing some Christmas shopping in the men’s shirts. I happened to catch a conversation going on somewhere in the pants section. I couldn’t see the participants, but I could easily hear them. I wasn’t ... Wed, 06 May 2009 15:22:03 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d6-Being-There?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d1-Why-Christians-Reject-Evolution-Part-III?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner      This is the third and final installment of a series of articles regarding why Christianity is struggling so hard to somehow find a loophole in the evolution debate, even though one will never be found, and in fifty years hist... Fri, 01 May 2009 15:23:28 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m5d1-Why-Christians-Reject-Evolution-Part-III?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m4d28-Why-Christianity-rejects-evolution-Part-II?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner  I’m talking about why Christianity is struggling so hard to somehow find a loophole in the evolution debate, even though one will never be found, and in fifty years history is not going to remember them fondly at all, and it all comes dow... Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:43:20 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m4d28-Why-Christianity-rejects-evolution-Part-II?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m4d26-Why-Christianity-rejects-evolution-Part-I?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner    It seems like no matter how good the conversation with any Fundamentalist, it always comes apart around the issue of evolution one can’t help but wonder why would anyone fight so hard against a scientific reality? After sitting wit... evolution Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:43:22 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-8078-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner~y2009m4d26-Why-Christianity-rejects-evolution-Part-I?cid=exrss-Seattle-Alternative-Religions-Examiner