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 First academic journal on secularism, nonreligion to debut in JanuaryBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN) – It’s turning out to be a banner year for nonbelievers. First came the publication of a secular Bible. Then we saw the birth of the first American college major in secularism. This week, it’s the launch of the world’s first academic journal dedicated to the themes of secularism and nonreligion. The journal, to be called Secularism and Nonreligion, will begin publishing in January as a joint project of Trinity College in Connecticut and the Non-religion and Secularity Research Network, an international interdisciplinary network of researchers. “Submissions should explore all aspects of what it means to be secular… what the lives of nonreligious individuals are like, and the interaction between secularity, nonreligion and other aspects of the world,” according to a Wednesday press release from Trinity College that called for submissions to the journal. “Articles will explore the ideology and philosophy of the secular, secularism, nonreligion and atheism,” the release continued. Submissions will be peer-reviewed and will be available for free at the journal’s website. Trinity College’s Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture is an important player in the burgeoning field of secular studies. In 2008, Trinity released a survey showing that so-called religious nones - those not affiliated with any faith tradition - constitute the fastest-growing religious tradition in the country, though only a fraction of those who claimed no religion actually identified as atheists. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Dan Gilgoff and Eric Marrapodi, with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
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GOVERNMENT "AFTERLIFE" FLASH MOB OR REAL SHOOTING IN UTOYA, NORWAY !!? stateofterror.blogspot.com/ or stateofterror.wordpress.com/ TEARS OF SORROW AND PAIN ON FACES OF MOURNERS OR TEAR GAS AND THEATER/HYPOCRISY ON FACES OF MULTICULTURALISM MANIACS !!? NORWEGIAN OSLO POLICE or COMMUNIST/LIBERAL CRIMINALS IN BLUE UNIFORMS WHO WERE PREPARING FOR TERROR AGAINST NORWAY ALREADY HALF DECADE AHEAD !!? No doubt about bombing in Oslo, but what about shooting in Utoya which was no different from the one in Arizona !!!? WILL THERE BE OBAMINATOR MORALES'S APOCALYPSE NOW OR TOTAL WAR AGAINST NEW WORLD ORDER(multiculturalism) !!? STOLTENBERG = BREIVIK(90 minutes vs 30 and for government vehicles or police even 20 minutes the most) !!!
DICTATOR OBAMA = STALIN = BUSH or USA = SOVIET UNION http://avsecbostjan.blogspot.com/ or http://avsecbostjan.wordpress.com/
COMMUNISM(Slowenien/Slovenia) IN CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE TODAY(2011) !!! http://sloveniatoday.blogspot.com or http://easterneuropetoday.wordpress.com/
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TROLL ALERT – this is complete garbage don't waste your time, click the report abuse link to get rid of this troll.
the reason that atheism is a religion is that they just had a book written as their manual and even a college has begun, so they are actually becoming the very thing that are against, i.e a religion
did you know that atheiests make the best non believers
but did you not know that atheism is a religion as well
there is a nicew song by talking heads about atheiests and its called
were on the road to nowhere
They could have been singing about Christianity (have you listened to the whole song or read the lyrics, it's clearly more religious that secular).
Secular Americans = kids who went bad though having the best parents on earth
After the research, they'll find secularists are better than others only in creating more broken families, promoting immorality and legalizing the mass murder(abortion).
Are you are saying, secularism isn't all that different than Religion?
"Secular Americans = kids who went bad though having the best parents on earth"
So, by inferred extrapolation, the perfect father, God, produces the worst children, Satan?, Man?
Wouldn't that would make God secular?
Americans have this stupid grudge against Christianity as if it took away their fun or something, when in fact it gave them everything good and kept the nation from collapse. America is crumbling down now because it's more like communist than Christian. Americans should stop bashing their parents and ancestors. They were far better than present Americans in everything except for racism. But racism is strong in every nation and every race still now. If the liberals feel sorry for American Indians, they should move out of USA so that the Chinese can rightfully have the land.
If Christians are racist, (even today), why would anyone want to be a Christian?
In response to Rational Person:Who are these damn Chrisitans? I will tell you.
We are your neighbors. The people I often associate with are mostly college educated, mostly professional, and many are teachers, small business owners, designers, artists, musicians, and yes IT professionals. We have intelligent discussions about science, politics, technology and life in general as well.
We have families and raise children. We are frustrated with those around us who are persecuting us for our beliefs today more than ever before. I can assure you my life is whole. I am a very moral person, I try to be non-judgemental in my thinking of others (of any belief and/or background, married 14 years, working professional and pay my fair share of taxes. I give to charity, am a good neighbor and take care of my house and yard. You would like me as a neighbor.
I actually go to church only when I want to and when I am not out of town (which is quite often). I don't feel that you have to be in church everytime the door opens to truely be a Christian. And maybe surprisingly to you, I consider myself a freethinker, because there is not one person here on earth who know everything, or will ever know everything. I think I have the ability to learn something new everyday and look forward to learning about everything. I am open to considering new ideas and will actually weigh them, before for forming an opinion. I feel that one day religion and science will intersect and a happy meeting place. There is nothing in the Bible that actually disagrees with any PROVEN scientific fact. Theory on the other hand......
I think it's fine that people who are not religious want a place to share their studies, findings and ideas. I just hope they don't use it as a platform of hate, which is what more and more news organizations are doing. There is more hate spewing these days toward Christians, than at any other time, except maybe during the actual time of Christ.
Christians will continue to evalgelize. Let us be. We aren't the ones who chop off hands or drag people out into the street if you don't conform. We don't torture your family or force allegience to a regeme. Anything done in violence by so called Christians, should be denounced by all people atheist, agnostic or Christians themselves. That sort of behavior shouldn't be condoned and also shouldn't be pointed to as examples of Christianity. To be a follower of Christ is to love all (even those we don't always like and or agree with....if you don't understand the difference, you need to read about Christ's love)
There will be christians that disagree with me. That's ok. Yes, we don't all have the exact same beliefs. It's the same as when you read any other book or watch a movie. We all have different points that stick out to us. Sometimes we read something and don't understand it, maybe until we read it again and again. The only point to me, is that I love God, believe Christ died for me and has redeemed be from the penalty of my sins. Forgive me if I can't help but wish that for everyone.
I have neighbors just like you, and in fact except for your religious beliefs I am a neighbor just like you. I agree with the spirit of all your remarks except one:
"Christians will continue to evalgelize. Let us be. We aren't the ones who chop off hands or drag people out into the street if you don't conform. We don't torture your family or force allegience to a regeme. Anything done in violence by so called Christians, should be denounced by all people atheist, agnostic or Christians themselves. That sort of behavior shouldn't be condoned and also shouldn't be pointed to as examples of Christianity. To be a follower of Christ is to love all (even those we don't always like and or agree with....if you don't understand the difference, you need to read about Christ's love)"
Although, you may no agree, Vietnam, and the current conflicts in the Middle East could be considered Christian Domination by force, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are about 80% Christian. You may think we are not fighting for Christian ideology, but look from the perspective of the ones we are fighting.
“We are frustrated with those around us who are persecuting us for our beliefs today more than ever before.”
So…your churches are being burned down? You are being shot in the street? People are breaking down your doors in the middle of the night and dragging you away, never to be seen again? You are denied employment, housing, or access to certain places because of your belief? You are forced to wear some kind of identification about what faith you are? No? Then you are not being persecuted. You simply aren’t the default anymore. Not getting your way is NOT being persecuted.
“There is more hate spewing these days toward Christians, than at any other time, except maybe during the actual time of Christ.”
I’m pretty sure right up until Constantine’s conversion, Christians then had it worse than you do.
It’s tiring to hear the constant victim whine from Christians. For centuries, Christianity was the default faith in the West. You either believed in the Church or you were tortured and killed. Even to this day, the majority of people in power are Christians. But when other faiths come along, threatening (real or imagined) privileges of Christians, we here this, “Help! Help! I’m being oppressed!”
The concept of freedom does not exist outside of Judeo-Christian values. Christianity made Americans God-fearing, truth-seeking/possessing, purposeful, compassionate, just, merciful and intelligent. Secularism made Americans purposeless, indulging, overweight, selfish, self-smart but totally stupid, chaotic, greedy, immoral and murderous.
@History
Congrats !!! You have are in the running for the 'ignorant posting' of the day award.
Wow. !
Peace...
*You (are) in the running.
I'm trying to remind stupid Americans the correct US history. Many times, outsiders know the better. You are correct about the Chin-ese or the Ja-pan-ese but ALWAYS wrong about your own history.
You guys are deceived by stupid movies. Former Americans had a lot to with with churches than bars. They are trying to tame you so you'll be their stupid sheep who'd waste money on gambling.
PS: "They" in the third sentence refers to the stupid movies you watch.
Bonnie, changing your name to “History” doesn’t change the fact that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Either that, or you are lying. What kind of Christian blatantly violates their Father’s word?
Abrahamic faith has been around for about 4,000. The Hindu faith has been here around 6,000. The 10 Disciplines of Hinuism are;
1. Satya (Truth)
2. Ahimsa (Non-violence)
3. Brahmacharya (Celibacy, non-adultery)
4. Asteya (No desire to possess or steal)
5. Aparighara (Non-corrupt)
6. Shaucha (Cleanliness)
7. Santosh (Contentment)
8. Swadhyaya (Reading of scriptures)
9. Tapas (Austerity, perseverance, penance)
10. Ishwarpranidhan (Regular prayers)
I love it. Let's all promote the freedom from religious dogma!!!!
Bravo!
Who are these damn athiests? I will tell you.
We are your neighbors. The group I associate with are mostly college educated, mostly professional, and many are artists and IT professionals. We have intelligent discussions about science, politics, technology and life in general.
We have families and raise children. We are frustrated with those around us that believe that you must have a god in your life to be whole. I can assure you my life is whole. I am a very moral person, married 26 years, working professional and pay my fair share of taxes. I give to charity, am a good neighbor and take care of my house and yard. You would like me as a neighbor.
My neighbors know I do not go to church but I have not told them that I am an agnostic freethinker.
At best many of the New Atheists today will need their own subculture just like Evangelicals and Fundamentalists do. They will need publishing houses (I think Prometheus Press functions in this way already) radio stations, schools, music, celebrities and the like.
What these people are doing seems almost religious in nature. As an atheist I would not buy or promote this journal.
no loss spiffy does not exist
One does not have to be an atheist to be nonreligious. There are millions of people who led spiritual lives without the need of a cult doctrine.
Atheists are the most hater minority.
Do you feel that way about everyone who happens to disagree with you?
USA will never save money because they won't stop immorality.
How much money would the following save the US secular taxpayers
Saving 1.5 billion lost Muslims:
There never was and never will be any angels i.e. no Gabriel, no Islam and therefore no more koranic-driven acts of horror and terror
One trillion dollars over the next several years as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will end.
Eighteen billion dollars/yr to Pakistan will stop.
Four billion dollars/yr to Egypt will end.
Saving 2 billion lost Christians including the Mormons:
There was and never will be any bodily resurrections i.e. No Easter, no Christianity.
The Mormon empire will now become taxable as will all Christian "religions" and non-profits since there is there is no longer any claim to being a tax-exempt religion. Ti-thes would no longer be tax-deductible.
Saving 15.5 million Orthodox followers of Judaism:
Abraham and Moses never existed.
Four billion dollars/yr to Israel saved.
All Jewish sects and non-profits will no longer be tax exempt.
Now all we need to do is convince these 3.5+ billion global and local citizens that they have been conned all these centuries Time for a Twitter and FaceBook campaign!!!!
2 years later and you are still holding on to your faith of "There was and never will be any bodily resurrections i.e. No Easter, no Christianity. "
As we "thu-mp" to it with rational thinking, conclusions and reiteration to counter the millennia of false and flawed religious history and theology!!!------––
Saving Christians from the Infamous Resurrection Con:
From that famous passage: In 1 Corinthians 15 St. Paul reasoned, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."
Even now Catholic/Christian professors of theology are questioning the bodily resurrection of the simple, preacher man aka Jesus.
To wit;
From a major Catholic university's theology professor’s grad school white-board notes:
"Heaven is a Spirit state or spiritual reality of union with God in love, without earthly – earth bound distractions.
Jesus and Mary's bodies are therefore not in Heaven.
Most believe that it to mean that the personal spiritual self that survives death is in continuity with the self we were while living on earth as an embodied person.
Again, the physical Resurrection (meaning a resuscitated corpse returning to life), Ascension (of Jesus' crucified corpse), and Assumption (Mary's corpse) into heaven did not take place.
The Ascension symbolizes the end of Jesus' earthly ministry and the beginning of the Church.
Only Luke's Gospel records it. The Assumption ties Jesus' mission to Pentecost and missionary activity of Jesus' followers The Assumption has multiple layers of symbolism, some are related to Mary's special role as "Christ bearer" (theotokos). It does not seem fitting that Mary, the body of Jesus' Virgin-Mother (another biblically based symbol found in Luke 1) would be derived by worms upon her death. Mary's assumption also shows God's positive regard, not only for Christ's male body, but also for female bodies." "
"In three controversial Wednesday Audiences, Pope John Paul II pointed out that the essential characteristic of heaven, hell or purgatory is that they are states of being of a spirit (angel/demon) or human soul, rather than places, as commonly perceived and represented in human language. This language of place is, according to the Pope, inadequate to describe the realities involved, since it is tied to the temporal order in which this world and we exist. In this he is applying the philosophical categories used by the Church in her theology and saying what St. Thomas Aquinas said long before him."
http://eternal-word.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2HEAVN.HTM
The Vatican quickly embellished this story with a lot CYAP.
Of course, we all know that angels are really mythical "pretty wingie talking thingies".
With respect to rising from the dead, we also have this account:
An added note: As per R.B. Stewart in his introduction to the recent book, The Resurrection of Jesus, Crossan and Wright in Dialogue,
p.4
"Reimarus (1774-1778) posits that Jesus became sidetracked by embracing a political position, sought to force God's hand and that he died alone deserted by his disciples. What began as a call for repentance ended up as a misguided attempt to usher in the earthly political kingdom of God. After Jesus' failure and death, his disciples stole his body and declared his resurrection in order to maintain their financial security and ensure themselves some standing."
p.168. by Ted Peters:
Even so, asking historical questions is our responsibility. Did Jesus really rise from the tomb? Is it necessary to have been raised from the tomb and to appear to his disciples in order to explain the rise of early church and the transcription of the bible? Crossan answers no, Wright answers, yes. "
So where are the bones"? As per Professor Crossan's analyses in his many books, the body of Jesus would have ended up in the mass graves of the crucified, eaten by wild dogs, covered with lime in a shallow grave, or under a pile of stones.
They'll find out why the nation became so run-down in everything if they do honest studies.
I suppose your idea of 'honest' studies is like so many Christians' idea of 'honest' science: "If it agrees with my religious views it must be true, but if not..."?
Free, America needs Christianity. Christianity has never been wrong. The End of everything as we know it is coming.
FaithScent
Which 'Christianity' do you see as never being wrong, or do you mean all who call themselves Christians? Face it, a whole lot of wrong has been done in the name of Jesus, and no sect has been exempt from this, it seems.
Yes, the end is coming. We have, at most, a few billion years before the sun dies, but a wayward astroid or some other disaster could wipe us out a lot earlier. If you're lucky, I suppose?
@Free, Christianity was never wrong, though some villains misused the name just like they do with like any good names or slogans. USA or the wellness and superiority of the West did not exist without Christianity. The End is coming much faster because the planet is asking God to get rid of the present mankind. Read Romans 8.
"the planet is asking God to get rid of the present mankind."
What the..?
May I have some of what you're smoking?
Philosophy already exists. Do the religious feel that they have to further redefine it?
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." Buddha
Words to live by!
@What stupid, empty, meaningless words. Self is most undependable. One needs to seek objective truth. No wonder Buddhists still grant no freedom in their land.
Free,
So many things wrong with that. Let's start off with is there anyone in the world that is doing something you feel is wrong? Yes you do, so if they are just appealing to their "common sense" and following "words to live by" how can you call it wrong? So then there is a higher absolute morality outside ourselfs.
Not to mention that the statement sets you up as the highest authority by using only "your" common sense. Which you know in your heart you are not the highest authority.