* Susan Jacoby on the Dumbing Down of America

THE AGE OF AMERICAN UNREASON
Published February 2008
by Susan Jacoby

"This impassioned, tough-minded work of contemporary history paints a disturbing portrait of a mutant strain of public ignorance, anti-rationalism, and anti-intellectualism that has developed over the past four decades and now threatens the future of American democracy. Combining historical analysis with contemporary observation, Susan Jacoby dissects a culture at odds with America’s heritage of Enlightenment reason and with modern knowledge and science. With mordant wit, the author offers an unsparing indictment of the ways in which dumbness has been defined downward throughout American society—on the political right and the left. America’s endemic anti-intellectual tendencies have been exacerbated by a new species of semiconscious anti-rationalism, feeding on and fed by a popular culture of video images and unremitting noise that leaves no room for contemplation or logic."

“The Age of American Unreason picks up where Richard Hofstadter left off. With analytic verve and deep historical knowledge, Susan Jacoby documents the dumbing down of our culture like a maestro. Make no mistake about it, this is an important book.” ~ Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley

More on Jacoby: * How Secularism Became a Dirty Word
Also see: * A Cruel, Capricious Master of the Universe

Earth Day

flickr photoGoing Green ... Religiously

• 
  
  How to Green Your Home Buying
• How to Green Your Rental
• How to Green Your Kitchen
• TreeHugger's 2007 Gift Guide
• How To Green Your Summer
• How to Green Your Carbon Offsets
• How to Green Your Book (for Publishers)
• How to Green Your Gardening
• How to Go Green: Back To Basics
• How to Green Your Outdoor Sports
• How to Green Your Book (for Authors)
• How to Green Your Kids' Toys
• How to Green Your Community
• How To Green Your Accessories
• How to Green Your Baby
• How To Green Your Wedding
• How To Green Your Electronics
• How to Green Your Pet
• How to Green Your Sex Life
• How to Green Your Coffee & Tea
• How To Green Your Dishwasher
• How to Green Your Recycling
• How to Green Your Cleaning
• How to Green Women's Personal Care
• How to Green Your Furniture
• How to Green Your Work
• How to Green Your Water
• TreeHugger's Green Gift Guide 2006
• How to Green Your Gifts
• How to Green Your Lighting
• How to Green Your Electricity
• How To Green Your Car
• How To Green Your Wardrobe
• How to Green Your Heating
• How to Green Your Meals
• How to Green Your Public Transportation

Treehugger Newsletters

* Pope Makes a Brave & Important Move for Victims

The Pope's Visit

Pope Begins U.S. Visit; Says He Is Ashamed of Sex Scandal

By JOHN HOLUSHA and IAN FISHER

Published: April 16, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI landed at Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday afternoon, beginning a six-day visit after a flight in which he told reporters aboard his aircraft that he was “deeply ashamed” of the Roman Catholic Church’s child sexual-abuse scandal in the United States. Full article ...

* News to Me ...

Receding Christianity The Jamaica Observer

ANTHONY GOMES Wednesday, April 09, 2008

"By coincidence, the economic recession threatening to overwhelm the United States and by extension the rest of the world is being sequentially followed by a spiritual recession, involving Christianity which includes approximately a third of the world's population. Some will say it comes as no surprise given the prevalence of materialism and moral laxity that symbolise the decadence sweeping Western civilisation.

"A stark reminder of this distressing development is a report from the Vatican - the Holy See and universal centre of Roman Catholicism, that for the first time in history Muslims exceed the number of Catholics in the world. Catholics accounted for 17.4 per cent while Muslims were 19.2 per cent. If Catholicism, the world's largest Christian religion, has declined to second place by 1.8 per cent of the world's population, then Christianity has sustained a significant loss of its faithful, even if some defectors may have chosen another Christian denomination.

*snipped

"Sadly, Western civilisation is on a path to decadence as with other great societies before it. Symptoms of this decline can be seen continuously on television together with the devaluation of human life and human rights. Right and wrong have become so blurred that any act, no matter how heinous [example], can ultimately be justified. The further the West slips into degradation the more calamitous become the consequences."

* The Religiosity of Leap Day

Gregorian Calendar & Reform

"The motivation of the Catholic Church in adjusting the calendar was to celebrate Easter at the time it thought the First Council of Nicaea had agreed upon in 325. Although a canon of the council implies that all churches used the same Easter, they did not."

Wikipedia: Leap Day

Americans Change Faiths at Rising Rate, Report Finds

By NEELA BANERJEE

Published: February 25, 2008

WASHINGTON — More than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion, according to a new survey of religious affiliation by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The report shows, for example, that every religion is losing and gaining members, but that the Roman Catholic Church “has experienced the greatest net losses as a result of affiliation changes.” The survey also indicates that the group that had the greatest net gain was the unaffiliated. More than 16 percent of American adults say they are not part of any organized faith, which makes the unaffiliated the country’s fourth largest “religious group.”

Detailing the nature of religious affiliation — who has the numbers, the education, the money — signals who could hold sway over the country’s political and cultural life, said John Green, an author of the report who is a senior fellow on religion and American politics at Pew. Full article ...

The Fastest Growing Religion in America Is "Unaffiliated." See reason.com

* God is Excited about the Super Bowl, Sister Linda Says

Rooms for Rent for Super Bowl fans at monastary. "I would think that God's got to be excited about the Super Bowl as well," Sister Linda said, "He wants people to enjoy life." But, no alcohol or rowdy behavior, she says. Confession is nearby.

* NYT ~ 2007 National & International

** New York Times ~ 2007 Year in Pictures **

Religion, Secularism & Politics in the Twenty-First Century

Join the world’s most distinguished defenders of science and secularism!

The 2007 Conference of the Center for Inquiry-New York City will take place at the New York Academy of Sciences at 7 World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, overlooking the World Trade Center site and contruction site of the Freedom Tower. Renowned speakers, scholars, and media personalities will meet to discuss the future of reason and secularism in an America and a world increasingly divided by religion.

Themes include:

• The Age of American Unreason
• The Next Islamic Enlightenment
• Science and the Public
• Student Freethinkers Speak Out
• Secularism through History: from Spinoza to JFK
• VIP Reception and Awards Presentation (with the International Academy of Humanism)

Speakers & Presenters include:

Christopher Hitchens	Alan Dershowitz	Neil deGrasse Tyson	Peter Singer
Wendy Kaminer	Paul Kurtz	Ann Druyan	Nat Hentoff
Susan Jacoby	Eugenie C. Scott	Victor Stenger

A Time of Challenge and Opportunity

The world is finally waking up to the dangers of religious faith. Books defending reason and religious skepticism top the bestseller lists. Secular Muslims are standing up for freedom of thought. The secular perspective has finally gained currency in the media and in cross-cultural dialogue. Young freethinkers and secularists are organizing and speaking out on campuses, ready to carry the torch of secularism into the new millennium.

Yet religious fervor in the United States and abroad remains at an all-time high. Science education suffers from the constant onslaught of creationist activists. Democratic politicians have joined Republicans in pandering to religious prejudices. The American courts are stacked with judges who openly denigrate the nation’s vital and historic separation of church and state. Islamic radicalism is on the rise in Europe as well as in the Middle East. In many ways, societies the world over face the ominous threat of de-secularization.

How do we seize this moment of opportunity to address secularism’s many challenges? How can secularists build a lasting movement? What political and rhetorical strategies should the reality-based community employ? Does vocal criticism of religion help or hinder the cause of secularism? Hear the thoughts of the world’s leading minds on these and many other questions.

* Another God has been Created and Her Name is "Google"

Nine proofs that Google is God ...
JOIN

* The 4th of July ~ Happy Honkin' Holiday this Year

"Americans celebrate July 4 as a day of patriotism, but the true spirit of July 4 has been lost. After all, July 4, 1776 was the day our Founding Fathers declared the American Revolution against King George!

"Our ancestors won that revolution, but after 224 years King George came back through Texas. Fortunately we don't need to fight another revolution because the Founding Fathers gave us a Constitution with the power of impeachment. We just have to demand that our Representatives use their impeachment power to hold George Bush and Dick Cheney accountable for their crimes.

"So let's use this July 4 to declare our independence from King George W - and let's make some noise!"

Democrats.com
Independence Day

* Eyes on Darfur via Satellite Images ~ Breaking News, Reuters/Amnesty International

Amnesty International: Eyes on Darfur
Reuters: A screenshot of EyesOnDarfur.org, taken on June 6, 2007. Amnesty International started posting satellite images on the Internet of villages in Sudan's conflict-ravaged Darfur on Wednesday in a bid to pressure Khartoum to allow U.N. peacekeepers into the region...

"We expect the Sudanese government to protect these and all villages throughout Darfur," said Ariela Blatter, director of Amnesty USA's Crisis Prevention and Response Center, who led the development of the Eyes on Darfur project. "We expect these villages to be intact today, tomorrow and well, well into the future."

Read Report on 2006

* Honoring America's Men & Women Who Died in Military Service

Many people observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 pm Washington time. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers place a U.S. Flag upon each gravesite located in a National Cemetery, as above, this one at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

* Protest Bush on May 23, Cheney on May 26, 2007

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition: Bush will be speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Coast Guard Academy at 31 Mohegan Ave. in New London on Wed. May 23rd. Cheney will be speaking at West Point on Saturday, May 26. Join with students, soldiers and veterans, impeachment and anti-war activists to protest.

* Time Magazine Snubs George W. Bush ~ He's Not One of the 100 Most Influential People for 2007

The "Time 100" was first published in 1999, when Time magazine named the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Based on the popularity of the installment, in 2004 Time magazine decided to make it an annual feature.

Time Magazine

The list includes 71 men and 29 women from 27 countries. George W. Bush is not among the most influential people.
Full List

* PBS' Bill Moyers Didn't Disappoint on His Airing of Iraq War Lies, "Buying the War"

Following up on the METAXY announcement of last night's airing, Bill Moyers' Blog continues the
discussion of the broadcast which will be repeated. Check
PBS Scheduling for future 90 minute airings.

* Vice President Dick Cheney not Welcome to Give Commencement Speech at Brigham Young University on April 26

flickr

Cheney shrugs

Public Forum Letter
by Mark Tiller
March 26, 2007

Why invite Vice President Dick Cheney, who vilifies so many of the Savior's teachings, to speak at Brigham Young University? Read and ponder the church's 13th Article of Faith; count how many ways Dick Cheney fails this tenet of our beliefs, particularly the part about believing in being honest, true , benevolent and in doing good to all men.

Why invite a man who endorses waterboarding, an interrogation technique considered by many a form of torture, and shrugs if off as a "no brainer." How does the invitation of this man and what he stands for serve the church and the graduates of its flagship institution? I am deeply disturbed and saddened by the news of even considering him appropriate to speak at BYU.

* * *Uninvite Cheney

Public Forum Letter
Lon Hazzard
April 4, 2007

Some have defended Brigham Young University's invitation to Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at commencement by stressing political balance or by comparing it to Michael Moore's speech at Utah Valley State College. Dick Cheney was not invited to speak at an open political forum at BYU.

Commencement speakers are traditionally very highly revered by the school that invites them. They are judged to be a living example of what students might aspire to, and they are expected to provide entertaining and positive counsel to graduates as they go out into the real world.

Whether intended or not, BYU's invitation to Dick Cheney implies an endorsement of his life's work, his policies and actions. As a BYU alumnus, knowing Dick Cheney's record, which reflects anything but true Christian values, I find this very disappointing to say the least.

Dick Cheney needs BYU far more than BYU needs Dick Cheney. Do right by the graduates and uninvite him.

* * *
BYU approves Cheney protest - for two hours before VP speaks

The Associated Press
April 12, 2007

PROVO - College Democrats at Brigham Young University will be protesting Vice President Dick Cheney's commencement speech - two hours before he gives it.

BYU officials granted the student group permission to protest from noon to 2 p.m. on April 26. Cheney's address is set for 4 p.m.

The protest will take place at one of the school's main entrances. Students say they hope thousands of people will see them as they arrive early for Cheney's speech at the Marriott Center. School officials plan to open the Marriott Center at 1 p.m.

All recent Salt Lake City Tribune articles for the Cheney controversy ...

BYU Student Petition AGAINST Cheney Speech, 3,652 signatures as of today.

BYU Student Petition FOR Cheney Speech, 1,031 signatures as of today.

* Dubya's Tower of Babel ~ Not at My University ~ Not Mincing Words

January 2007, Protect SMU Petition

"We the undersigned express our objection to the prospect of the George W. Bush library, museum, and think tank being established at Southern Methodist University. As United Methodists, we believe that the linking of his presidency with a university bearing the Methodist name is utterly inappropriate. We urge the Board of Trustees of Southern Methodist University and the South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church to reject this project."

Why?

Bishop's Speak Out Against Bush's Library

CrossLeft
by Stephen Rockwell
February 1, 2007

“The placement of the George W. Bush Library and the establishment of an Institute to promote the policies of this president at Southern Methodist University would be a tragedy.” said Bishop William Boyd Grove. “The policies of the Bush administration are in direct conflict with the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church on issues of war and peace, civil liberties and human rights, care for the environment and health care. SMU is a university of the church, and is home to one of our outstanding theological seminaries. Its Methodist identity and its moral authority would be seriously compromised were it to be identified with the policies of George W. Bush in this way”.Read more ...

But now, and for now, the library has been approved:

Methodist council approves land lease for Bush library

The SMU Daily Campus
by Mark Norris, Editor In Chief

March 20, 2007

"While students hit the slopes or laid out on the beach during Spring Break, SMU moved one step closer to finalizing a deal for the George W. Bush Library complex.

"The Mission Council of the United Methodist Church's South Central Jurisdiction approved the lease of land on campus in a 10-4 vote. There was one abstention." More ...

Keep up-to-date on the commotion at The Bush Library Blog

COMMENTARY ~ After 5 years, a broken military, broken Constitution, broken laws and broken troops ...

McClatchy Newspapers
by Joseph L. Galloway

March 21, 2007

"No doubt the contractors who are bloated like ticks on the billions they've sucked out of the public trough will write the checks to build George W. Bush a really fine presidential library on the campus of Southern Methodist University.

"All of it will be a lie, just like the lies his administration told to beat the war drums five years ago.

"How will the curators portray the broken military, the broken Constitution, the broken laws, the forever broken troops who came home missing limbs or eyes or pieces of their brains, the broken promises to cherish and care for the families of those who were killed and those very wounded veterans?

"How will they portray the corruption, both real and spiritual, that this man and his accomplices have visited upon a nation and a people who once could be proud of their place in this world?

"How and why did so many Americans, including so many in Congress and in the media, sit idly by while so much that was precious to us was bent and twisted and broken by men who had the power and the money to do the right things but chose to do the wrong things?" Full article ...

flickr image

* The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University Hosts "The New Humanism" Conference

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA will host “The New Humanism” conference in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University, April 20-22.

The New Humanism: Multi-Cultural and Multi-National

"Our conference is designed to demonstrate that Humanism is a multi-cultural and multi-national world movement that best represents the otherwise unrepresented, under-appreciated 1.1 billion non-religious people on Earth."

More about Harvard's Conference

* Free E-book from the Biblical Archaeology Society ~ The Burial of Jesus

Free e-book, The Burial of Jesus, on the burial customs in ancient Jerusalem, what Jesus’ tomb would have looked like and what we know of Jesus’ family."

The 65-page book includes photos and articles by such prominent archaeologists as Amos Kloner, Richard Bauckman, Jodi Magness, Dan Bahat, Gabriel Barkay, and Jerome Murphy-O'Connor.