Public university professors join ranks of Sandy Hook conspiracy theorists

Public university professors join ranks of Sandy Hook conspiracy theorists - Two professors at mainstream, respected state universities are advocating conspiracy theories about the Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

James Tracy, a tenured associate professor of media history Florida Atlantic University and a one-time union leader, has claimed that the school shooting didn’t happen as it was widely reported and perhaps didn’t happen at all, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

“As documents relating to the Sandy Hook shooting continue to be assessed and interpreted by independent researchers, there is a growing awareness that the media coverage of the massacre of 26 children and adults was intended primarily for public consumption to further larger political ends,” Tracy wrote on his blog, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Tracy said he believes that the Sandy Hook shooting could have been constructed to increase public support for gun control.

He has authored a report showing, he says, how a mélange of federal agencies, state agencies and major media outlets could have framed 20-year-old Adam Lanza as a lone, methodical gunman when, in fact, several additional people were involved.

The FAU professor has also alleged that some kind of training exercise gone awry could have caused the carnage at Sandy Hook. “Was this a drill?” he has asked, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Tracy bases his skepticism on several pieces of evidence: an uncertain timeline, an absence of surveillance video and still photographs from the event, the awkward conduct of a medical examiner during a news conference and his suspicion that Lanza could not have fired so many rounds so quickly.

The Sun-Sentinel reports that Tracy also has a hard time believing the official story because he hasn’t seen the dead bodies or pictures of the dead bodies.

“Overall, I’m saying the public needs more information to assess what took place,” Tracy said. “We don’t have that.”

The administration at FAU does not endorse Tracy’s point of view, the Sun-Sentinel notes.

Meanwhile, as Campus Reform reports, a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Duluth believes that Israel’s legendary national intelligence agency carried out the Sandy Hook shootings. ( dailycaller.com )

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Florida Atlantic University apologizes for Jesus Stomping 101

UPDATE: Florida Atlantic University apologizes for Jesus Stomping 101 - So, the story about the Florida Atlantic University student who says he ended up suspended because he refused to stomp on a piece of paper bearing the word “JESUS” has really taken off nationally.

As The Daily Caller reported on Thursday morning, junior Ryan Rotela, a devout Mormon, says he was booted from class after he told an FAU school official that the Jesus-stomping assignment made him uncomfortable.

An FAU official initially defended the suspension, telling local CBS affiliate WPEC that the Jesus-stomping was part of a classroom exercise from a textbook, “Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, 5th Edition.”

Now, Mediaite has confirmed that the instructor’s manual accompanying textbook does, in fact, recommend Jesus-stomping.

The manual reads:

“This exercise is a bit sensitive, but really drives home the point that even though symbols are arbitrary, they take on very strong and emotional meanings. Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper. Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence, instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

The FAU class in which the Jesus-stomping assignment occurred was called intercultural communications. Deandre Poole was the professor.

Mediaite helpfully points out that Professor Poole is the vice-chairman of the Palm Beach Democratic Party.

Also, another FAU faculty member was in the news recently. James Tracy, tenured associate professor of media history, bizarrely claimed that the Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School didn’t happen as it was widely reported — and perhaps didn’t happen at all.

On Friday, reports Todd Starnes of Fox News, FAU issued an apology for Poole’s assignment. The public, taxpayer-funded school said it won’t be using the assignment again.

“We sincerely apologize for any offense this has caused,” the apology said. “Florida Atlantic University respects all religions and welcomes people of all faiths, backgrounds and beliefs.”

FAU noted that no one was forced to participate in the assignment and that no one was punished because of it.

“We can confirm that no student has been expelled, suspended or disciplined by the University as a result of any activity that took place during this class,” the statement read.

Presumably, then, the school is saying that Rotela was not suspended from the class. ( The Daily Caller )

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Florida university under fire over "Jesus" classroom exercise

Florida university under fire over "Jesus" classroom exercise - A Florida university has come under fire over a professor's controversial classroom assignment that asked his students to write "Jesus" on a sheet of paper and then to step on it.

The incident earlier this month at the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, has prompted the school to issue an apology and led to a call from Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott for an investigation.

"I am deeply disappointed in the recent actions of Florida Atlantic University faculty that raises significant questions over students' rights and the lessons being taught in our classrooms," Scott wrote in a letter to the head of Florida's state university board on Tuesday.

The classroom exercise was conducted as part of a course on intercultural communication at the public university.

It called for students to write the words "Jesus" in big letters on a piece of paper, place it on the floor and then to step on the paper. Students were then asked to describe how they felt.

School officials said the instructor told students they could choose whether to participate in the exercise, which was based on an example in a study guide to a course textbook and intended to provoke a discussion of cultural symbols.

In a recent statement, Florida Atlantic University said it will no longer use the exercise after it sparked criticism from some students.

"It was insensitive and unacceptable. Based on the offensive nature of the exercise, we will not use it again and have issued an apology to the community," the statement said.

In his letter, Scott said he wanted more than just an apology from the school.

"The professor's lesson was offensive, and even intolerant, to Christians and those of all faiths who deserve to be respected as Americans entitled to religious freedom," he wrote.

"I'm requesting a report of the incident, how it was handled and a statement of the university's policies to ensure this type of 'lesson' will not occur again," Scott added.(Reuters)

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Bible comes to life as locusts swarm Israel

Bible comes to life as locusts swarm Israel - Israeli Jews celebrating Passover will easily relate to their ancestors this year – the country has been swarmed by millions of locusts, one of the 10 plagues visited on the Egyptians.

Locusts have descended on Israel this week, just in time for Passover. As millions of Jews commemorate the story of the children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, including the 10 plagues that afflicted Pharaoh and his people, millions of the crunchy buggers are creeping all over Israel’s southern deserts.

This is nothing like the eighth plague of biblical times, in which locusts covered “the whole face of the earth” in a kind of collective punishment for the Egyptians whose leader refused to let his Hebrew slaves go free.

But this year is the first time since 2005 that modern-day Israel has had to combat locusts, which can swarm so thickly that drivers can’t see beyond their windshield. Potato farmers bemoaned the detrimental effect of a previous wave of the grasshopper-like insects several weeks ago. The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, which was on “locust alert,” has responded quickly to the latest wave with pesticides.

But it’s not just Israel. Today the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Agriculture sprayed pesticides in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. And Egyptian farmers have suffered millions of dollars in damage after a swarm of about 30 million locusts hit Cairo earlier this month.

The most serious situation, however, appears to be in Sudan, where the United Nations Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) head has warned that immature “hoppers” are lining up along a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) stretch of the Nile and could pose a serious threat to Nile Valley crops in May.

OK, so locusts are not your average grasshopper. But still, how can they cause such massive damage?

Consider these arresting facts: They can eat their weight in crops every day; They can fly more than 80 miles a day – in swarms as dense as 200 million per square mile; And females can lay as many as 1,000 egg pods in roughly 10 square feet, according to a FAO fact sheet.

To put the threat in practical terms, 1 ton of locusts (just a fraction of your average swarm) can eat about as much food as 2,500 people can in a single day, says FAO.

The Israelis have sought to reverse the food chain this Passover, however, by grilling the kosher insects for a crunchy, high-protein delicacy. And they’re not alone. Locust recipes abound.

A Mexican version from “Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects,” by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio calls for roasting locust torsos and sprinkling them on homemade guacamole in a taco shell. Scrap that. Sprinkle and enjoy, the cookbook says. ( Christian Science Monitor )

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The story of Mecca as it's never been told before

The story of Mecca as it's never been told before -- From a few thousand people traveling by camel in the 7th century to three million a year today: The story of the Hajj -- the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca -- is an epic journey.

That journey is celebrated in the first major exhibition dedicated to the Hajj, opening at the British Museum in London on January 26.

It includes sacred objects, pictures and the human stories of pilgrims past and present.

"We hope to be able to get across the hardship of the journey in the old days when it was a long journey by camel or by sea and could take two years there and back," said Venetia Porter, the exhibition curator. "Now of course you can go by plane."

Hajj certificate dating from17th-18th century

Yet despite the changes over the years, it was what hadn't changed which most struck Porter.
The experience itself doesn't seem to have changed since medieval times
Venetia Porter, exhibition curator

"The experience itself doesn't seem to have changed," she said. "If you read the historical accounts of pilgrims in medieval times, their rituals, how they feel and the deep spiritual significance is the same as now."

The exhibition falls into three sections, the first focusing on the journey to Mecca, particularly along the major routes used through history across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

The second section focuses on the Hajj today, its rituals and what the experience means to pilgrims. Finally, the exhibition takes on Mecca itself, its origins and importance.

Mecca is considered the spiritual center of Islam because it was where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have received his first revelations in the early 7th century.

At its heart is the cube-shaped Ka'ba, built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, according to the Quran.

The Hajj takes place in the last month of the Islamic year, known as Dhu'l Hijja and includes certain rituals which must be completed. Every Muslim who can is expected to go on Hajj at least once in their lifetime.

It took the British Museum more than two years to collect all the objects, which include a seetanah which covers the door of the Ka'ba, archaeological material, manuscripts, textiles, historic photographs and contemporary art.

The exhibition was put together with the help of the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh, which arranged the loan of some objects which had never before been taken outside Saudi Arabia.
It's the most extraordinary spiritual journey every Muslim takes
HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, Saudi Ambassador to Britain

The Saudi Ambassador to Britain, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, said: "Hajj is not just a physical journey, it's the most extraordinary spiritual journey every Muslim takes.

"We leave our families and our homes to undertake this profound life-changing experience.

"It doesn't guarantee passage to Heaven, but it focuses us on what's important in life.

"It's a sensitive issue for the British Museum to tackle and we had long discussions to make sure it was accurate. Eventually they did an excellent job."

Porter said: "The most challenging aspect for us was to turn it from a mere collection of objects into something evocative of the strong spiritual experience.

"The way we did it was to include quotes and voices from pilgrims."

To accompany its exhibition, the British Museum invited Muslims to recount their own experiences on its website, and hundreds have done so.

One, Kamran Majid, from London, wrote: "The moment you enter the Harem Mosque and first lay eyes on the Ka'ba feels like the day you are truly born of life, your soul, heart and eyes soften and ease to the glorious sight."

Another, Amal Alabdulkarim, from Riyhad, wrote: "Hajj is the journey of pureness, love, hope and optimism. It taught me humility, patience and justice."

Sophia Khan, from Slough, UK, wrote: "My most memorable moment was when I just happened to sit on some steps looking out to the Ka'ba. There were thousands of people from all over the world circumambulating this sacred structure at the center of the Earth, all there for a common purpose of praising God, yet each engaged in private reflection oblivious of any other." ( cnn )

READ MORE - The story of Mecca as it's never been told before

Only Atheists Should Hold Public Office

Only Atheists Should Hold Public Office - Religion plays a big role in politics. Noted polling organization Pew Research just published a report detailing which candidate people are likely to vote for based on religion. A USA Today report suggests Rick Santorum's popularity in South Carolina has been significantly increased by his religious positions on issues and support of the evangelical Christian movement. That's all a shame because America would be better off if only atheists were allowed to hold public office.

Let me start by saying such an arrangement would actually protect Christians. Leaders who are influenced by religious belief often act in ways that support that religion -- sometimes to the detriment of other faiths. While Christianity may hold sway now in the U.S. other religions might someday enjoy a political majority. If that day comes Christians who have advocated for religious leadership will have no defense against the wishes of officeholders from other religions.

Of greater importance, however, is the danger of religious leadership. Theocratic nations restrict freedom and place adherence to religious dogma ahead of real-world issues and common sense. A horrifying example is the practice under Sharia law of punishing rape victims with death for sexual immorality. This even happens in nations where Sharia is not officially used, such as Bangladesh, where a 14-year-old girl was raped by a relative and killed by punitive whipping, according to UPI.

Christian dogma is equally violent. The Bible calls for death as punishment for talking back to parents, breaking the Sabbath, wearing clothes of multiple fabrics, and failing to scream loudly enough when being raped, among many other offenses listed by the Skeptics Annotated Bible. If Christian religious dogma is taken seriously by leaders it could lead to terror and death.

Adherence to religious dogma also distracts from pressing, real-world issues. The Bible calls poverty a holy thing. Mother Teresa called abortion "the greatest destroyer of peace today" in her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech according to the Nobel site. Religious dogma makes adherents want to limit others' rights, dictate social ethics, yet ignore problems like poverty.

Atheist leadership would be focused entirely on the actual civic problems facing the country. It may be the only world view that places real world problems first and America needs that. ( yahoo.com )

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So what would Jews do on Christmas Eve?

So what would Jews do on Christmas Eve? - The Jewish community has long had a tense relationship with Christmas. You wouldn't know it by the two main customs observed by many 21st-century Jews on Dec. 25: eating Chinese food and being the first to see the Christmas blockbuster. But less well-known are the more historic—and, to be blunt, more bizarre—Christmas Eve customs that Jewish communities have kept secret, even from most Jews. As a public service announcement, I'm here to let you in on what the rabbis thought about Christmas Eve. Gather round, little ones. This is a scary tale.

The Talmud, with its share of rabbinic repudiations against Jesus, was never a big fan of Christmas. Call it the Grinch. Indeed, the rabbis looked at it as a day of mourning—perhaps due to the suffering that Jews encountered in Jesus' name throughout history. And Christmas Eve—named "Nittel Nacht" by Jewish scholars in the 17th century—took on a life of its own. Some Jewish mystics were under the impression that many apostates were conceived on Christmas Eve (which is one reason the rabbis forbade sex on Dec. 24; more on that later). In Europe, the Jewish community was victim of more acts of violence on this night. All in all, it didn't end up being a festive evening for Jews.

And so the rabbis decreed that the public study hall be closed and that no Torah learning take place on this night. I guess it's our version of "Silent Night"—literally. The edict came about partially because of pogroms, but the leaders were also concerned about the popularly held belief in Judaism that studying the Torah brings spiritual benefit to the world at large. Many didn't want to make this positive contribution on what they considered a "pagan" night.

Although there is no exact demarcation as to the genesis of this odd holiday, the renowned Talmudist Rabbi Samuel Eides (commonly known as the Mahrasha in Torah circles) observed Nittel Nacht as early as the late 1500s. The Baal Shem Tov, a famous Jewish mystic and the founder of Hasidism, popularized the holiday in the 1700s. Many rabbis after him added on their own special rules. By the mid-1900s, when Judeo-Christian relations matured, the Christmas Eve customs fell mostly by the wayside as the Jewish community wanted to show their support for their Christian neighbors. While there are still some Orthodox groups that observe Nittel Nacht, these are not widespread customs among modern Jews. Indeed, in doing research for this article, I found that asking for information on Nittel Nacht was sort of equivalent to asking for directions to the nearest Freemasonry.

Although Torah study was forbidden, some privately studied what's called Toledot Yeshu—a medieval manuscript that tells the story of Jesus from a non-Christian perspective. A few didn't even sleep on Christmas Eve for fear that they might dream about Torah study. It's probably the only time the rabbis would prefer visions of sugarplums dancing in your head. Hassidic legend says that dogs, often and quizzically seen in ancient Jewish texts as a symbol of evil, appear to those who study Torah on this night.

The rabbinic sages behind Nittel Nacht also decreed that a married couple should not have sex on Christmas Eve. I guess they would shudder at all the unmarried Jews today who use the night to hook up at Jewish singles events. (There are similar customs—no Torah study, no sex, etc.—on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, the historic date on which both of the Jewish Temples were destroyed. Ironically, many rabbinic authorities actually suggest this was the actual day of Jesus' birth.)

In classic Talmudic fashion, there are debates as to when Nittel Nacht actually begins. Chaim Saiman, a law professor at Villanova who specializes in Jewish legal theory, calls it the "Russian nesting doll" theory. Ask one question and several others pop out. You can't study Torah on Christmas Eve? Great … when does that start? Midday? Sunset? Nightfall? And since Orthodox Christians observe Christmas in January, there was actually a rabbinic debate about when to "celebrate" Nittel Nacht. Not surprisingly, extra-strict Jews decided to hedge their bets and observed Nittel Nacht on both nights.

So what would Jews do on Christmas Eve?

1) Tear toilet paper. I kid you not. Bear with me, as the reason is a bit convoluted: Observant Jews do not tear anything on the Sabbath as they consider it a form of "work." As such, they either don't use toilet paper on Saturdays (opting instead for pipe-clogging tissues) or pre-rip toilet paper before sundown on Friday. (I reluctantly confess, this is something I was exposed to while growing up the son of an Orthodox rabbi.) Since Jews were not allowed to study Torah on Christmas Eve, the rabbis still wanted the community to be doing something, um, productive. So they suggested people spend the time pre-ripping toilet paper for the entire year. I wish I was joking but, alas, I am not.

2) Play cards, play chess, spin a tiny top. Many synagogues held poker games on Christmas Eve; some say this is where the custom of spinning the dreidel on Hanukkah matured from, as a way for Jews to pass to the time.

3) Everything from managing finances to reading secular books to, get this, sewing. (That last one was actually a custom of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.)

It's obviously important to keep in mind that the often bizarre customs of Nittel Nacht were, as Rabbi Ari Enkin points out, "born out of political realities rather than theological ones. … Nittel Nacht comes to us from an era when relations between Jews and Christians, the Church and Judaism, could be described as 'tense' at best. We are fortunate to be living in a day and age where relations between these two groups have flourished immensely."

I couldn't have said it better. This is an era of remarkable religious tolerance. Hanukkah menorahs get erected next to Christmas trees at the mall. Kwanzaa gets its own postage stamp. The Gap's holiday commercials name-check winter solstice. Which is why most Jews no longer celebrate (or even know about) Nittel Nacht. It is, on many levels, a holiday far past its expiration date.

Regardless, because it's the nature of the beast, there will be Jews gone rogue: holding poker tournaments and furiously ripping toilet paper this Christmas Eve. And to them I simply say, "Merry Nittel Nacht, and to all a good night." ( slate.com )

READ MORE - So what would Jews do on Christmas Eve?

Why Atheists Celebrate Christmas

Why Atheists Celebrate Christmas - They may not find much meaning in the birth of Jesus Christ, but many atheists embrace religious traditions such as churchgoing for the sake of the children, a new study finds.

The research, which focused on atheist scientists, found that 17 percent of atheists in the study attended a religious service more than once a year. The atheists embraced religious traditions for social and personal reasons, they told the study researchers.

"Our research shows just how tightly linked religion and family are in U.S. society — so much so that even some of society's least religious people find religion to be important in their private lives," Rice University sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund, the study's principal investigator, said in a statement. Ecklund and her colleagues reported their findings in the December issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Earlier research by Ecklund has revealed that the line between believing and not believing in God is not always bright. For example, in research released in June 2011 in the journal Sociology of Religion, Ecklund and her colleagues found that about 20 percent of atheist scientists are "spiritual," if not formally religious.

In the current study, the researchers chose a sample of 275 participants pulled from a larger survey of 2,198 science faculty at 21 elite U.S. research universities. Half of the original survey sample said they were religious, while the other half were not.

The atheist parents surveyed had multiple reasons for attending religious services in the absence of religious belief. Some said their spouse or partner was religious, and encouraged them to go to services as well. Others said they enjoyed the community that attending a church, mosque, temple or other religious institution can bring.

Perhaps most interesting, Ecklund said, was that many atheist scientists take their children to religious services so that the kids can make up their own mind about God and spirituality.

"We thought that these individuals might be less inclined to introduce their children to religious traditions, but we found the exact opposite to be true," Ecklund said. "They want their children to have choices, and it is more consistent with their science identity to expose their children to all sources of knowledge."

For example, one study participant raised in a strongly Catholic home said he later came to believe that science and religion were not compatible. But rather than passing that belief onto his daughter, he said, he wanted to pass on the ability to make her own decisions in a thoughtful way. So he exposes his daughter to a variety of religious choices, including Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

"I … don't indoctrinate her that she should believe in God," the study participant said. "I don't indoctrinate her into not believing in God." ( LiveScience.com )

READ MORE - Why Atheists Celebrate Christmas

Doing It for the Children

Doing It for the Children - He probably won't get down on his knees, but that fellow sitting near you during the Sunday church service just may be an atheist. And a scientist.

A new study out of Rice University has found that 17 percent -- about one out of five scientists who describe themselves as either atheists or agnostics -- actually go to church, although not too often, and not because they feel a spiritual yearning to join the faithful.

More likely, it's because of the kids.

What? Why would somebody who doesn't believe there's a god want his own offspring wasting their time in an enterprise he believes has no foundation in fact? Especially a scientist.

The study, by sociologists Elaine Howard Ecklund of Rice and Kristen Schultz Lee of the University at Buffalo, found that many atheists want their children exposed to religion so that they can make up their own minds on what to believe. In addition, church may provide a better understanding of morality and ethics, and occasionally attending services may ease the conflict between spouses who disagree over the value of religion to their children, the study contends.

Atheists Who Go to Church: Doing It for the Children (ABC News)

The research, published in the December issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, was based on in-depth interviews with 275 scientists at 21 "elite" research universities in the United States. Sixty-one percent of the participants described themselves as either atheists or agnostics, and 17 percent of the non-believers had attended church more than once in the past year.

In general, their church affiliation followed a similar pattern -- most were raised in a family that was not deeply involved in religion, and they did not attend church during early adulthood but established a relationship with a church when they had children of their own. After the children had grown, they attended church less and less, if at all.

But why would someone who believes there is no god want his children exposed to doctrines that he clearly believes to be false?

"Some actually see it as part of their scientific identity," Ecklund said in a telephone interview. "They want to teach their children to be free thinkers, to give them religious choices, and so they take their children to religious organizations just to give them exposure to religion."

Let the kids make up their own minds, many of the participants told Ecklund.

Still, it may seem a bit odd for some atheists to perceive church as a desired "community" at a time when many leading atheists are calling on their colleagues to come out of the closet and take a public stand against religion. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, physicist Victor Stenger and others see religion as a source of evil in the world.

They contend that science has moved beyond a belief in the supernatural, partly because science has answered some questions that were previously left up to clerics. Evolution, for example, provides a naturalist explanation for how we got here.

True believers, by contrast, regard atheists as "among the least trusted people" on the planet, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia. These scientists emphasized last month that the right word is "distrust," not "dislike."

But however you put it, atheists do have a bit of an image problem. If they feel uncomfortable attending church, that's nothing compared to entering some aspects of public service. They usually find themselves on the outside looking in.

Atheists Who Go to Church

Columnist Michael Kinsley confessed to being a "nonbeliever" in the Los Angeles Times last month. In an op-ed piece he conceded, "That puts me in the only religious grouping in America whose members are effectively barred from any hope of becoming president, due to widespread public prejudice against them. There will be a Mormon president, a Jewish president, an openly gay president before there will be a president who says publicly that he doesn't believe in God."

He contrasted that with the current run for the White House in which "four of this year's Republican candidates were personally recruited by God to run for president." That number has since dropped to three.

Ecklund, who has conducted several studies of science and religion, said in the interview that it's possible for an atheist to become a member of a religious community without feeling like a phony.

"I don't think they see it as a conflict," she said. That's partly because they've been out of the mainstream for nearly their entire lives.

"There's a good deal of difference between the science community and the general public," she said. "Scientists are less likely to have been raised in religious homes." When they were, she added, "they were generally raised in homes where religion was not practiced strongly. It was not part of the fabric of life."

So perhaps a scientist who happens to be an agnostic or an atheist sees no problem with turning to religion, if only for awhile, because it could open new avenues of thought for the children. After all, isn't that the heart of science?

"The children can decide for themselves what to believe," Ecklund said. ( ABC News )

READ MORE - Doing It for the Children

Why I gave up on finding my religion

Why I gave up on finding my religion - For a 2,500-year-old religion, Buddhism seems remarkably compatible with our scientifically oriented culture, which may explain its surging popularity here in America. Over the last 15 years, the number of Buddhist centers in the United States has more than doubled, to well over 1,000. As many as 4 million Americans now practice Buddhism, surpassing the total of Episcopalians.

Of these Buddhists, half have post-graduate degrees, according to one survey. Recently, convergences between science and Buddhism have been explored in a slew of books—including Zen and the Brain and The Psychology of Awakening—and scholarly meetings. Next fall Harvard will host a colloquium titled "Investigating the Mind," where leading cognitive scientists will swap theories with the Dalai Lama. Just the other week the New York Times hailed the "rapprochement between modern science and ancient [Buddhist] wisdom."

Four years ago, I joined a Buddhist meditation class and began talking to (and reading books by) intellectuals sympathetic to Buddhism. Eventually, and regretfully, I concluded that Buddhism is not much more rational than the Catholicism I lapsed from in my youth; Buddhism's moral and metaphysical worldview cannot easily be reconciled with science—or, more generally, with modern humanistic values.

For many, a chief selling point of Buddhism is its supposed de-emphasis of supernatural notions such as immortal souls and God. Buddhism "rejects the theological impulse," the philosopher Owen Flanagan declares approvingly in The Problem of the Soul. Actually, Buddhism is functionally theistic, even if it avoids the "G" word. Like its parent religion Hinduism, Buddhism espouses reincarnation, which holds that after death our souls are re-instantiated in new bodies, and karma, the law of moral cause and effect. Together, these tenets imply the existence of some cosmic judge who, like Santa Claus, tallies up our naughtiness and niceness before rewarding us with rebirth as a cockroach or as a saintly lama.

Buddha: a pragamatist focused on reducing suffering

Western Buddhists usually downplay these supernatural elements, insisting that Buddhism isn't so much a religion as a practical method for achieving happiness. They depict Buddha as a pragmatist who eschewed metaphysical speculation and focused on reducing human suffering. As the Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman put it, Buddhism is an "inner science," an empirical discipline for fulfilling our minds' potential. The ultimate goal is the state of preternatural bliss, wisdom, and moral grace sometimes called enlightenment—Buddhism's version of heaven, except that you don't have to die to get there.

The major vehicle for achieving enlightenment is meditation, touted by both Buddhists and alternative-medicine gurus as a potent way to calm and comprehend our minds. The trouble is, decades of research have shown meditation's effects to be highly unreliable, as James Austin, a neurologist and Zen Buddhist, points out in Zen and Brain. Yes, it can reduce stress, but, as it turns out, no more so than simply sitting still does. Meditation can even exacerbate depression, anxiety, and other negative emotions in certain people.

The insights imputed to meditation are questionable, too. Meditation, the brain researcher Francisco Varela told me before he died in 2001, confirms the Buddhist doctrine of anatta, which holds that the self is an illusion. Varela contended that anatta has also been corroborated by cognitive science, which has discovered that our perception of our minds as discrete, unified entities is an illusion foisted upon us by our clever brains. In fact, all that cognitive science has revealed is that the mind is an emergent phenomenon, which is difficult to explain or predict in terms of its parts; few scientists would equate the property of emergence with nonexistence, as anatta does.

Much more dubious is Buddhism's claim that perceiving yourself as in some sense unreal will make you happier and more compassionate. Ideally, as the British psychologist and Zen practitioner Susan Blackmore writes in The Meme Machine, when you embrace your essential selflessness, "guilt, shame, embarrassment, self-doubt, and fear of failure ebb away and you become, contrary to expectation, a better neighbor." But most people are distressed by sensations of unreality, which are quite common and can be induced by drugs, fatigue, trauma, and mental illness as well as by meditation.

Even if you achieve a blissful acceptance of the illusory nature of your self, this perspective may not transform you into a saintly bodhisattva, brimming with love and compassion for all other creatures. Far from it—and this is where the distance between certain humanistic values and Buddhism becomes most apparent. To someone who sees himself and others as unreal, human suffering and death may appear laughably trivial. This may explain why some Buddhist masters have behaved more like nihilists than saints. Chogyam Trungpa, who helped introduce Tibetan Buddhism to the United States in the 1970s, was a promiscuous drunk and bully, and he died of alcohol-related illness in 1987. Zen lore celebrates the sadistic or masochistic behavior of sages such as Bodhidharma, who is said to have sat in meditation for so long that his legs became gangrenous.

What's worse, Buddhism holds that enlightenment makes you morally infallible—like the pope, but more so. Even the otherwise sensible James Austin perpetuates this insidious notion. " 'Wrong' actions won't arise," he writes, "when a brain continues truly to express the self-nature intrinsic to its [transcendent] experiences." Buddhists infected with this belief can easily excuse their teachers' abusive acts as hallmarks of a "crazy wisdom" that the unenlightened cannot fathom.

But what troubles me most about Buddhism is its implication that detachment from ordinary life is the surest route to salvation. Buddha's first step toward enlightenment was his abandonment of his wife and child, and Buddhism (like Catholicism) still exalts male monasticism as the epitome of spirituality. It seems legitimate to ask whether a path that turns away from aspects of life as essential as sexuality and parenthood is truly spiritual. From this perspective, the very concept of enlightenment begins to look anti-spiritual: It suggests that life is a problem that can be solved, a cul-de-sac that can be, and should be, escaped.

Some Western Buddhists have argued that principles such as reincarnation, anatta, and enlightenment are not essential to Buddhism. In Buddhism Without Beliefs and The Faith To Doubt, the British teacher Stephen Batchelor eloquently describes his practice as a method for confronting—rather than transcending—the often painful mystery of life. But Batchelor seems to have arrived at what he calls an "agnostic" perspective in spite of his Buddhist training—not because of it. When I asked him why he didn't just call himself an agnostic, Batchelor shrugged and said he sometimes wondered himself.

All religions, including Buddhism, stem from our narcissistic wish to believe that the universe was created for our benefit, as a stage for our spiritual quests. In contrast, science tells us that we are incidental, accidental. Far from being the raison d'être of the universe, we appeared through sheer happenstance, and we could vanish in the same way. This is not a comforting viewpoint, but science, unlike religion, seeks truth regardless of how it makes us feel. Buddhism raises radical questions about our inner and outer reality, but it is finally not radical enough to accommodate science's disturbing perspective. The remaining question is whether any form of spirituality can. ( slate.com )

READ MORE - Why I gave up on finding my religion

US, Swedish researchers crack 250-year-old cipher

US, Swedish researchers crack 250-year-old cipher — Scientists in California and Sweden said they have used computer translation techniques to solve a 250-year-old mystery by deciphering a coded manuscript written for a secret society.

The University of Southern California announced Tuesday that researchers had broken the Copiale Cipher, a 105-page, 18th century document from Germany.

The handwritten, beautifully bound book didn't contain any sort of Da Vinci Code but rather a snapshot of the arcane rituals practiced by one of the many secret societies that flourished in the 1700s.

It also recorded rites for some apparent sects of Freemasonry that showed political leanings.

"This opens up a window for people who study the history of ideas and the history of secret societies," USC computer scientist Kevin Knight, who was on the deciphering team, said in a statement. "Historians believe that secret societies have had a role in revolutions, but all that is yet to be worked out, and a big part of the reason is because so many documents are enciphered."

The handwritten Copiale Cipher was discovered in East Berlin after the Cold War and is now in a private collection. Most of the book was written in a cipher of 90 characters that included abstract symbols and Roman and Greek letters.

Knight and Beata Megyesi and Christiane Schaefer of Sweden's Uppsala University went to work cracking it earlier this year. They used a computer program to automate a key code-breaking procedure — tallying the frequency and grouping of the letters and symbols — then automated the process of comparing the cipher to known languages.

It's a method used by many automated translation programs.

The researchers tried the Roman letters first, comparing them to some 80 languages.

"It took quite a long time and resulted in complete failure," Knight said.

Eventually, they determined that the abstract symbols, not the unaccented Roman letters, bore the message. The first words deciphered were German for "ceremonies of initiation" and "secret section."

The initiation rites were for an "ocular society" that used a lot of eye-based symbolism.

For example, a candidate was supposed to look at a blank piece of paper and be asked if he can see writing. If he answers no, he is given eyeglasses, tries again, and then his eyes are washed with a cloth.

"If nothing helps, he (the master of ceremonies) will announce that they have to proceed with the operation," which consists of plucking a hair from the candidate's eyebrow, according to the text.

Knight is working on cracking other ciphers, including one that San Francisco's Zodiac Killer used in messages to police during his spree; the last section of "Kryptos," a coded sculpture at CIA headquarters, and the Voynich Manuscript, a famous work from the 1400s. ( Associated Press )

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Why Is Facial Hair So Important to So Many Religions?

Why Is Facial Hair So Important to So Many Religions? - An Amish splinter group has gone on a crime spree, forcibly cutting the beards off of their rivals. Many religions, including Sikhism, Islam, and sects of Judaism, encourage or require their men to keep beards. Jesus Christ is often depicted with a beard. Why does God like facial hair so much?

Because it’s manly. Although beards appear repeatedly in religious texts, God never explicitly tells us why they’re so holy. In the absence of any divine exposition, many theologians have posited that a hairy face is a symbol of masculinity bestowed upon men by God. St. Clement of Alexandria, who was among the most emphatic proponents of this view, argued: “But for one who is a man to comb himself and shave himself with a razor, for the sake of fine effect, to arrange his hair at the looking-glass, to shave his cheeks, pluck hairs out of them, and smooth them, how womanly! And, in truth, unless you saw them naked, you would suppose them to be women.” St. Augustine seconded Clement’s characterization, noting, “The beard signifies the courageous; the beard distinguishes the grown men, the earnest, the active, the vigorous. So that when we describe such, we say, he is a bearded man.” The beard soon fell out of favor among clerics, though, and Christian holy men were forbidden to sport facial hair for several centuries before the ban was relaxed during the Renaissance. In today's world, Protestants and Catholics are more likely to follow prevailing facial hair fashions, while Orthodox Christians tend to stick to the biblical, pro-beard view.

Muslim scholars have long argued over the importance of beards. Some view shaving as haram, or forbidden, because the prophet and his immediate followers wore beards. Others argue that shaving is merely makruh, or undesirable, because there isn’t a specific Quranic prohibition on it. As in Christianity, a number of theologians believe that the beard is holy because it is part of God’s distinction between man and woman. One Pakistani scholar noted: “The Prophets of Allah kept beards and expressed their liking for it since this is from among the norms of human nature. It is an expression of manliness and as such a sign, which distinguishes men from women.”

Keeping a long beard is one of the main tenets of Sikhism, and again there are indications that the commandment relates to masculinity. Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a controversial Indian militant Sikh, argued, “If you do not want beards then you should urge the women to become men and you should become women.”

Several Hindu communities shave their men as part of religious rites, and scholars interpret the act as returning the participant to an infantile condition, without hair or gender. The freshly shorn subject is forbidden to have sex for a prescribed period. (These groups do not shave men as part of the rite of marriage.) Ascetics who keep themselves permanently hairless give up sex entirely.

As with other bearded religions, the Amish appear to wear their beards as a sign of manhood, and the recent attacks are consistent with the ancient Judeo-Christian tradition of forcibly shaving an enemy to emasculate him. The Ammonites humiliated the emissaries of King David by shaving their beards. In the Book of Judges, Samson loses his strength when his hair is cut. (Samson lost all of his head hair, not just his beard.)

Masculinity isn’t the only proposed explanation for why religious groups have favored them. Some communities kept beards to distinguish themselves from their nonbelieving neighbors. Ancient Near Eastern art portrayed Israelites as bearded, while the hated Philistines were clean-shaven. There are Muslim scholars who think the prophet wore a beard to distinguish his followers from Christians. ( slate.com )

READ MORE - Why Is Facial Hair So Important to So Many Religions?