Sunday, November 29, 2015
Who owns & controls crime scene video?
From USA Today
Chicago shooting video tampered with, Burger King manager says
http://usat.ly/1jqdBy2
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Maybe the loss of religion isn't really the cause of our modern problems?
I've often been irritated when some of the religious right-wingers complain that many of our problems are due to the loss of religious beliefs. Some say that if we had more prayer in schools, the kids would be better students, or have less violence. They never seem to have any evidence for their assertions.
There was an opinion piece in the November 1, 2015 Los Angeles Times by Phil Zuckerman titled "Don't blame secularism for modern society's ills" that refuted those right wing statements. He pointed out that the countries of the world with the highest "secularism" also have the highest rates of violence. Likewise the US states that have the highest amounts of religious followers also have higher rates of violent crime and other indicators of "helping our neighbors"..
Throughout world history, it seems that more people have been killed or tortured due in some part to belief in some religion. It is hard to imagine how different sects of Christianity could kill each other as they did during the battles between Catholics and Protestants. Even more difficult to comprehend the violent hatred between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. It only points out to me that as a nation, and as a member of the world society we need to do everything we can to keep religion and government politics separate with a clear "firewall" between them. Religious organizations should be prohibited from participating or advocating politicians or governmental positions. Governments should be restricted from allowing any vestige of a religion as part of doing their business. That should certainly include restrictions on any form of prayer in their meetings, and from displaying any religious saying, symbol, or icon as part of their operation.
Note at bottom of Article in LA Times: Phil Zuckerman is a professor of sociobiology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont and the author of "Living the Secular Life"
There was an opinion piece in the November 1, 2015 Los Angeles Times by Phil Zuckerman titled "Don't blame secularism for modern society's ills" that refuted those right wing statements. He pointed out that the countries of the world with the highest "secularism" also have the highest rates of violence. Likewise the US states that have the highest amounts of religious followers also have higher rates of violent crime and other indicators of "helping our neighbors"..
Throughout world history, it seems that more people have been killed or tortured due in some part to belief in some religion. It is hard to imagine how different sects of Christianity could kill each other as they did during the battles between Catholics and Protestants. Even more difficult to comprehend the violent hatred between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. It only points out to me that as a nation, and as a member of the world society we need to do everything we can to keep religion and government politics separate with a clear "firewall" between them. Religious organizations should be prohibited from participating or advocating politicians or governmental positions. Governments should be restricted from allowing any vestige of a religion as part of doing their business. That should certainly include restrictions on any form of prayer in their meetings, and from displaying any religious saying, symbol, or icon as part of their operation.
Note at bottom of Article in LA Times: Phil Zuckerman is a professor of sociobiology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont and the author of "Living the Secular Life"
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