Bertrand Russell - "Why I'm Not A Christian"

Two Excerpts . . .

Fear, the Foundation of Religion

Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. Fear is the basis of the whole thing -- fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. It is because fear is at the basis of those two things. In this world we can now begin a little to understand things, and a little to master them by help of science, which has forced its way step by step against the Christian religion, against the churches, and against the opposition of all the old precepts. Science can help us to get over this craven fear in which mankind has lived for so many generations. Science can teach us, and I think our own hearts can teach us, no longer to look around for imaginary supports, no longer to invent allies in the sky, but rather to look to our own efforts here below to make this world a better place to live in, instead of the sort of place that the churches in all these centuries have made it.

What We Must Do

We want to stand upon our own feet and look fair and square at the world -- its good facts, its bad facts, its beauties, and its ugliness; see the world as it is and be not afraid of it. Conquer the world by intelligence and not merely by being slavishly subdued by the terror that comes from it. The whole conception of God is a conception derived from the ancient Oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men. When you hear people in church debasing themselves and saying that they are miserable sinners, and all the rest of it, it seems contemptible and not worthy of self-respecting human beings. We ought to stand up and look the world frankly in the face. We ought to make the best we can of the world, and if it is not so good as we wish, after all it will still be better than what these others have made of it in all these ages. A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men. It needs a fearless outlook and a free intelligence. It needs hope for the future, not looking back all the time toward a past that is dead, which we trust will be far surpassed by the future that our intelligence can create.

This Makes Me Want To Beat Someone!

I was at a local "British-Style" pub the other night and saw this ad in the men's room:

Note the close up with someone's helpful penning:

Advice For Americans From Down Under

Just replace "Australia" with "America". . .

Contest: A Six-Word Motto for the U.S.?

Inspired by a recent trip to London, this recent Times article about England’s reluctant search for a national motto (suggestions range from "No Motto Please, We’re British" to "One Mighty Empire, Slightly Used"), as well as by this new book on six-word memoirs.

Write a six-word motto for the U.S. of A.

"Some are more equal than others."
(Adapted from the great George Orwell)

"America….at least we’re not Canada."

"Do you want fries with that?"

"One Nation. One God. Screw You."

"Let Freedom Ring (void where prohibited.)"

"… or the terrorists have already won …"

"Land of the Free (see disclaimer)"

See the complete list of at least 1250 more here.

Happy Valentine's Day - I Love You

Google: Can You Find Chuck Norris?

1. Go to Google.

2. Type: "find chuck norris"

3. Click: I'm Feeling Lucky

Tool: Which Presidential Candidates Align With You On Issues?

Glassbooth's simple quiz connects you to the 2008 presidential candidate that represents your beliefs the best.

The presidential election process should not be a popularity contest. Who actually agrees with you on the issues that are important to you?

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Glassbooth's success is contingent on nonbias in their process. They have worked closely with partners and experts to insure their language is in no way misleading.

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Find out which candidates you most closely align with and why.

God-Man and Human-Man: Superheroes

Just Ask Jesus

I saw a billboard  that said:

"Need help?  Call Jesus  1-800-005-3787"

Out of curiosity, I did just that.

A Mexican showed up with a tow truck.