* What one Atheist does for fun ...

Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) created the Dilbert comic strip and is the the author of several business commentaries, social satires, and experimental philosophy books.

Dilbert loves technology for the sake of technology. In fact, Dilbert loves technology more than people. He's got the social skills of a mousepad and he'd rather surf the Internet than Waikiki (which, considering the physique he developed after years of sitting in front of a PC screen, is a blessing).

Perhaps Atheists and Agnostics find life to be so rich because they are free of religious dogma--free to be who we are because we define ourselves. ~ BlogHer

God and the Brain

Is Belief a Psychological Condition?
A collection of great articles on the subject.

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Synopsis: Findings seem to point to a region of the brain commonly referred to as the 'God Spot' or 'God Module', that when stimulated creates hallucinations that are interpreted as mystical or spiritual experiences. This 'spot' is stimulated during meditation and prayer and is affected by electromagnetic fields and epilepsy. The resulting hallucinations may be the cause of mystical, spiritual and paranormal experiences as they can give feelings such as a presence in the room or an out of body experience. In the case of epileptics, this may be the reason for many of them becoming obsessed with religion. For those who experience the stimulation it is explained related to their own personal beliefs; a visit from an angel or lost loved one, an extraterrestrial encounter, a higher plane of consciousness or a visit from God.

But what about Atheists? If the research is correct and a "God module" exists, then it might suggest that individuals who are atheists could have a differently configured neural circuit. I suppose this would apply to Agnostics, as well. But, some of this and some of that instead of all or nothing. ~ BlogHer

Tell me I'm not hallucinating ... if we both see a large brain
riding on the back of a car, then I'm OK and you're OK.

flickr brains

* Jesus Sez, No Public Prayer. And, so, Spare Us.

All the public praying in churches, on TV and Radio by Jesus Worshippers does not accord with Jesus' teachings. The push for prayer in schools, courts, etc. by some people again does not jibe with Jesus' teachings in the New Testament. I would not trust these people that practice and promote public prayer and claim they are spokespersons for Jesus and God-- they don't even know the Bible they claim to base their teachings on. They are false teachers?

Matthew 6:5 - 7

5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Jesus says you must definitely not pray as the hypocrites pray.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Here Jesus says when thou prayest, you must pray this way:
(1) enter into thy closet.
(2) shut the door.
(3) pray to thy Father which is in secret.
(4) use not vain repetitions.

(Prayer must be in private, not in front of other people.
Do not repeat things over and over again in prayer)

Read more: An attribute of a true Christian is: He only prays in private, never in public.

All of this seems to point to the conclusion that Jesus did not believe in organized religion. If Christians would believe this and cooperate, oh good, we can turn their churches into homeless shelters and day care centers for kids of single working moms. Jesus would go for that, IMO. ~ BlogHer

* A danger in religion ...

... is when individuals think that their personal god should be everyone else's personal god. ~BlogHer

* Hitchens vs Hitchens: Brothers will do Battle over God, War, Politics, and Culture

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Brothers Christopher and Peter Hitchens, both journalists and authors, couldn’t be more different and divided. A friend to both said, “one is a conservative, traditionalist, church-going Anglican; the other a liberal, louche, drinking-and-smoking atheist.” The brothers, throughout a long estrangement and recent reconciliation, have clashed in print on many issues. Now they plan their first public debate on numerous topics, from religion to Iraq. The event is being sponsored by Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and the Center for Inquiry, an international think tank promoting science and secularism.

Christopher, who works in Washington, D.C., has written 20 books including scathing critiques of Henry Kissinger, Bill Clinton and Mother Teresa. Most recently, he wrote a book on atheism, "god is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." Younger brother Peter works in England as a columnist for the Mail on Sunday. He is author of "The Abolition of Britain and The Abolition of Liberty."

"We are proud to play a role in bringing Christopher and Peter together for this debate," said Paul Kurtz, chairman of the Center for Inquiry. "The books by the 'new atheists' have generally played a positive role, especially in widening the parameters of critical discourse about religion in this country. I'm sure this debate will continue the discussion in a lively fashion."