God Help Me, Say 82% Of Americans

Most Americans believe God is concerned with their personal well-being and is directly involved in their personal affairs, according to new research out of the University of Toronto.

Overall, most people believe that God is highly influential in the events and outcomes in their lives. Specifically:

82 per cent say they depend on God for help and guidance in making decisions;

71 per cent believe that when good or bad things happen, these occurrences are simply part of God's plan for them;

61 per cent believe that God has determined the direction and course of their lives;

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Ok, that's enough depressing statistics, you can read the whole article here.

Agora at Cannes - Hypatia, First Woman Scientist and Philosopher

Set in the 4th century CE in Alexandria the epic film "Agora" tells of a story that is famous in the history of science but perhaps little known outside that field. It is the story of a world in transition, of a Mediterranean culture shifting from Hellenic to Christian ideals. The history of science has not been blessed with too many women and Hypatia stands out as scientist, philosopher and head of the Library of Alexandria as much as for her gruesome end at the hands of fundamentalist Christians. It was one of the last stands of philosophy against the tide of messianic faith. Philosophy lost.

The dating of the Christian calendar from the alleged birth of Jesus can give the illusion that Christianity was born fully formed. This is, of course, far from the truth and the 4th and 5th centuries were crucial in its development, especially the rise of the expansionist Roman Catholic Church and its triumph over Hellenic culture. There can surely be no more symbolic death than that of a female scientist inflicted by a patriarchal religion.

The film's director, Alejandro Amenabar, takes great pains to say that this is not specifically anti-Christian in its message but rather against fundamentalist religious thinking in general. In our current age, where we see certain powerful factions determined to create a synthetic clash of civilizations between Christianity and Islam, it is worth being reminded that there is a much deeper clash of cultures that runs through the whole of human history - the clash between knowledge and indoctrination. Hypatia was a champion of the former and a victim of the latter.

Agora was screened at Cannes and seems to have had mixed reviews. I don't know if this is for cinematographic reasons or because of the uncomfortable message.

Obama Says U.S. Not a Christian Nation

Despite whatever shortcomings Obama may have, it is nice to have a president with some knowledge of history and recognition that he is tasked with representing all Americans and not just the Christian ones.





Thanks to Atheist Revolution.

This flipping around trying to be everyman may well come to haunt Obama if he ever lays himself open to being pinned down under questioning. He is, of course, historically correct; the USA as a nation was not founded as a Christian state. This does not preclude it from being hijacked by any religion.

Why Won't God Heal Amputees?

WhyWontGodHealAmputees.com is a web site that explores the existence of God. This blog accompanies the site and explores God and religion in our world today. For more information:

• Why Won’t God Heal Amputees? - Exploring God and his existence
• WhyWontGodHealAmputees.com Forum - a great place to talk to believers and non-believers about religion.
• God is Imaginary - 50 proofs showing that God is imaginary