Reason and Moral Dilemmas.

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "To take Hauser's example, the decision to sacrifice the one on the siding to save the 5 on the main track, is not amenable to reason. If the five on the main track are fighting a gang war, and the one on the siding is a police officer trying to call in assistance or use his authority to end the fighting, reason cannot override the decision to divert the trolley to kill the officer."

Intuitive vs. Rational moral responses

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "The intuitive response to any moral situation is the integration of all we have learned about that type of moral situation, whether the learning was intuitive 'mama spank' or rational, 'that comment caused emotional injury, I shouldn't say that again.'"

Moral growth ends at puberty.

anyone who has survived the adolescence of their own children needs no studies to prove that any moral growth after puberty has a negative sign. Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "anyone who has survived the adolescence of their own children needs no studies to prove that any moral growth after puberty has a negative sign."

Moral fervor in Christians and atheists.

Atheists are born without sin so moral growth comes naturally as they mature from infancy to puberty when moral growth stops. Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "As atheists are born without sin, and moral growth comes naturally as they mature from infancy to puberty when moral growth stops."

Why should an atheist be moral

Unlike theists an atheist cannot appeal to a God to override these prevailing moral standards, and therefore must be, if anything, more careful to know and understand them and comply with them carefully. There is no leeway for even minor breaches as hesh cannot pray for forgiveness nor expect any from a theist who distrusts herm in any event.
Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums

Faux News coverage of Kennedy Illness.

Normally Faux News is on my ignore list, but the lunchroom TV was covering Kennedy's "seizures." Out of the clear blue sky the Faux commentator said something to the effect that any fair and balanced coverage of Kennedy had to include Chappaquiddick. I choked on my sandwich, and decided that there is no bottom to the cesspool that is Faux news.

Reason and Cultural Heratage

Most strike a good balance between rationality and intuition, distributed along the continuum, if these are indeed a continuum, in the normal bell curve distribution. Some on the intuitive side with some application of reason, others on the reasoning side with some reliance on the collective wisdom of their childhood.
Cerebral and/or Visceral: Talking Past Each Other - Beliefnet Forums

Evolutionary analysis of Romeo and Juliet

Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion pp 221-222 brilliantly uses the entire play as an extended metaphor for the "misapplication" of genetic drives of lust, in group altruism, xenophobia, and charity. He explains both the play and evolutionary drives succinctly, and understandably. Incredibly well done!!!

China Quake

150000 military and civilian rescue workers on the scene.
Survivors Pulled From Rubble of China Quake - New York Times

Paul's sexual immorality rants.

If it is better to marry than to burn, it would seem that committed homosexuals are better off than fornicating heteros.
what do you think about being homosexual and being a christian? - Beliefnet Forums

On Prejudice

Prejudice is an excuse for irresponsible thoughtless behavior. Thoughtful, moral people examine their prejudices in order to determine functionality, and to counter those that are dysfunctional.
Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums

Olbermann: Mr. President, the war isn't about you - Countdown with Keith Olbermann- msnbc.com

A nation of killers for political purposes
Olbermann: Mr. President, the war isn't about you - Countdown with Keith Olbermann- msnbc.com

Moral judgments vs morality

A moral action is a snapshot of the moral state of the actor at the time. It is unreasoned. The underlying morality of the actor is malleable by reason.
David Brooks on 'Neural Buddhists' - Beliefnet Forums

Circular Double Rainbow

Past the bridge on the Mist Trail as Vernal Falls gets near, the gorge fills with mist. The AM sun is normally ahead and to the right. If you stop and turn around in the bright sun in the morning you will see mist bows arching over the trail behind you.

One morning when the mist was particularly heavy (record runoff for the Merced) I turned around and found a perfect double circle mist bow starting at one of my pockets and ending in the other.

I ruefully thought that the legendary pot of gold was a bit of small change at one end of the bow and a few bucks at the other. But the bows themselves were priceless.

Midwest Unitarian Upbringing

I grew up in an urban Midwest Unitarian Church. American Unitarian Conference - Beliefnet Forums

Self-transcendence or self-reliance.

Cosmopolitanism depends on the acceptance of morality and meaning as an inherent faculty of humans not derived from any supernatural source. David Brooks on 'Neural Buddhists' - Beliefnet Forums: "Beliefnet Forums > FAITHS & PRACTICES > Discussion, Dialogue and Debate > Discuss Atheism > David Brooks on 'Neural Buddhists"

Chinese response to earthquake

50,000 troops and police in the mountains in 72 hours. Compare and contrast the third world response to Nargis and Katrina.

A broken irony meter.

You just broke my last irony meter. Origins Community Room - Beliefnet Forums

The God gene. How long to extinction.

The God gene causes behavior like basing education including science education on bronze age mythology and keeping the female half of the population in uneducated sexual slavery. In some parts of the world the gene is so dominant that they have to recruit those without it to build infrastructure, provide their transportation, and market their products. How long will this gene last in the human pool? Since warfare between God followers is all too common, my guess is very few generations.
Big Big problem for Evo's - Beliefnet Forums: "Beliefnet Forums > INTERESTS & TOPICS > Science & Religion > Origins of Life > Big Big problem for Evo's"

What caused the first cause?

BillThinksForHimself has the answer.What caused the first cause? - Beliefnet Forums