Visit to United Flight 93 Memorial - Sept 11, 2009

Over on Flickr, I have an album of photos I took on my bus trip to the United Flight 93 crash site on September 11, 2009.

What's Wrong with "New Thought"?

"Heathenism by its very nature must be strongly against the mainline of the New Thought movement, which suggests that reality is what we think, as if there were no real world..."

So begins Siegfried Goodfellow's brief, but compelling, condemnation of the New Thought movement, most notably represented by A Course In Miracles, The Secret, as well as other popular abundance-oriented programs. It's worth a read, particularly if you embrace a grounded path such as Heathenry: Heathenism and New Thought : Not Compatible

Memorial Day: Hail the Fallen

Remember those who have served our country and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Check out the History Channel's write up on Memorial Day.

May our fallen soldiers find the peace they sought to protect.

Quotable | Civilized Phases

The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we eat?' The second by the question 'Why do we eat?' And the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch?'" -- Douglas Adams. 1981. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Photo credit: Ammit

(Separation of) Church & State for May 2009

The May 2009 edition of Church & State, the monthly publication from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, is now online. Top stories include:

• Special Delivery: Letters From AU’s Legal Department Solve Church-State Problems In Public Schools Without Going To Court
• A+ Arizona: State Supreme Court Flunks Voucher Subsidies For Religious And Other Private Schools
• Power Struggle: With James Dobson Inching Toward Retirement And Others Off The Scene, Many Wonder Who Will Fill The Religious Right’s Bully Pulpit
• Texas Two-Step: State School Board Takes One Step Forward On Science Standards – And Two Steps Back

Visit now: http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cs_2009_05

Raise the Hammer for Vets!

After defending our nation, and paying the ultimate sacrifice, our veterans should be honored and remembered by the symbol of their chosen faith. Raise the hammer for them!

Please take a moment to go to the Asatru Military Family Support Program's web site to sign our petition asking the Department of Veterans Affairs to authorize Thor's Hammer on headstones for veterans of the Asatru Faith.

http://www.hammerproject.org/

Red Thor Takes the Wheel

Hrafnkell has a nice reworking of Jesus Take the Wheel. In his capable hands, the lyrics are transformed from whiny to empowering. Take a look at Red Thor Ward My Steps.

Church & State for April 2009

The April 2009 edition of Church & State, the monthly publication from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, is now online. Top stories include:

• Touchdown At The Supreme Court
• Fighting ‘Faith-Based’ Bias
• High Court Commandment
• Senate Voucher Victory

Visit now: http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cs_2009_04

Blogroll Update: Pharyngula

Please welcome Pharyngula to the ol' Prophet or Madman blogroll. Pharyngula is the brainchild of Professor Myers. As an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, Morris, the good professor is well-positioned to report on matters pertaining to evolutionary developmental biology and any other odd bits of biological interest. What exactly falls under that latter category? Oh, how about Intelligent Design, the dumbing down of science, and the dangers of religious belief, to name but a few. Yes, Professor Myers is a self-professed "godless liberal" and a public critic of intelligent design (as well as the creationist movement in general). Myers is an activist in promoting atheism -- or at least nontheism -- in America. So why, given that my blog does indeed focus on matters of the spirit, would I add Pharyngula to my blogroll? Well, Pharyngula is quirky and fun to read. Plus it is chock full of good science information. Some of the best science writing on the web can be found on Pharyngula. Besides, I'm quite comfortable with science (I earned my Physics degree from Penn State), and I happen to support his stance against creation theory. So, you'll find Pharyngula under the Sci & Tech label in the right sidebar. What else can I say about Pharyngula to get you to try it out? I really cannot summarize Myers' blog and do it complete justice. It really is that damn good. So I'll just tease you a bit. I'll tell you that he has posted such interesting thoughts as God as an abortionist, argued against compatibility between religion and science, and bemoaned the state of academics. For more information, check out his about page which explains what exactly pharyngula is, summarizes the good professor's background, and provides a quick summary of the three main aspects of the blog (random quote file, list of science articles, and his own blogroll).

Blaze of Glory

I'm blogging this article for two reasons:

1. It mentions Ásatrú.
2. It concerns a matter of religious freedom/choice.

Hindus In Britain Demand Traditional Cremation

More:

• wikipedia entry on "Cremation"
• Death in Banaras (scholarly treatise on why Hindus cremate their dead)
• Internet Cremation Society
• Cremation versus Burial (Mainly concerned with Jewish/Christian burial at ReligiousTolerance.org)
• "Beowulf" and Cremation