Newsletter 02-25-05

Welcome to issue #7.08 of Free Thought Now!, the Agnosticism / Atheism site newsletter. This week we'll have an extensive image gallery dealing with Constantine the Great: his life, the Arch of Constantine, the Basilica of Constantine, and more. News stories include Christian bullies in Britain, criticisms of the Bush doctrine, arguments against atheism, and more.

Image Gallery of Constantine the Great: Photos, Drawings
Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantine (c. 272 - 337), better known as Constantine the Great, was perhaps the most important person in the development of the early Christian Church (after Jesus and Paul, naturally). He ultimately gave Christianity political and social legitimacy in the Roman Empire, thus allowing the young religion to establish itself, obtain powerful patrons, and ultimately dominate the Western world.

Weekly Quote: Mencken on Agnosticism & Religion
"All great religions, in order to escape absurdity, have to admit a dilution of agnosticism. It is only the savage, whether of the African bush or the American gospel tent, who pretends to know the will and intent of God exactly and completely." Follow the link for analysis and discussion...

Conclave: Politics, Personalities of Papal Elections
Eventually every pope dies and a successor must be chosen. Although the current methods and traditions would be unrecognizable to the earliest Christian leaders, they have been in place for several hundred years with only minor changes or additions. A better understanding of how a pope is chosen provides important insights on how the papacy works and what a pope's role ultimately is.

Alabama: Sex Toy Ban Upheld
Song of the South...

A Religion or a Gang?
Good question...

The Bush Doctrine
What is it?

Christians Bully Cancer Charity Into Rejecting Donation
Why?

Arkansas House Votes Against Church/State Separation
Pathetic

100% Of All Atheists Are Fools
Silly argument...

AARP & Gay Marriage
What's the connection?

 

Forum Discussions:

1) Debating Religion
"What we so easily seem to ignore is the fact that religion, by and large, is not about belief. Most religious people are not particularly concerned with establishing the rationality of their beliefs; nor are they particularly damaged by the idea that someone else might consider those beliefs irrational. .....which is why it's very rare that anyone gets converted here. The atmosphere is far to adversarial to allow that to happen."

2) Atheists Receiving Holy Communion
"Does anyone know if atheists and/or agnostics are disqualified from being given communion? Let's say an atheist went to church to make his mother happy on some occasion. She wanted him to receive communion. So he goes up to get it...and gets it (because I assume the priest doesn't ask each and every person coming up what their stance is on religion, right?). Well, what if the atheist happens to be wearing a pin, button or shirt that proclaims his atheism? Can the priest disqualify him and tell him to step aside?"

3) Poetry & Music for Atheists
"There are certain poems and songs that have always inspired welcome emotions in me, but which I can no longer fully appreciate, due to their God references. One poem which I have lovedever since I first encountered it,is Robert Browning's Pippa Passes. The mood it inspires in me is sheer joy in being alive...but, when I became an atheist, I could no longer relate to the following lines... "God's in his Heaven, / All's right with the world." Adoring this poem as I did, I was one day inspired to alter "God's in his Heaven" to "the earth's in its orbit." In this modified form, I can nowappreciate the poem, with no reservations. (I realize Robert Browning wouldn't approve...but who cares?...he's dead!)"