WELCOME
Overview
I do not believe in the concept of free will. I believe that people are a product of their genetic makeup and upbringing. Our beliefs are based on what we are exposed to. You can see this clearly when you look at religious affiliations. It is likely that a child raised as a Muslim will become a Muslim, a Christian child will become a Christian. There are exceptions but the stronger the religious teaching in childhood ("brainwashing"), the stronger the tie to that faith. If you also find yourself surrounded by people and practises that reinforce the faith, how could you consider an alternative option?.
People of faith should be allowed their right to believe and follow whoever they wish, be it Allah, God, Bhuddha, Vishnu, Jupiter, etc. However their social and moral views, based on ancient scripts and primitive thinking, should not be taken into account when the government is making laws. Issues such as abortion and euthanasia, homosexuality and womens rights, require critical thinking in a modern context, not based on the perceived orders from above. The law of a secular country should prevail over any religious laws. If the Old testament and the Quran say homosexuality is to be punished then we must educate followers of such books in the current age of enlightenment.
No respect should be or given to beliefs that cannot stand up to skepical inquiry.
Religious indoctrination of the young should be discouraged as much as possible without the need to legislate against it. The first step is to remove religious instruction from education, it would still allow children to be taught about religion as a general topic, but no religion should be promoted as being more correct than any other.
The burqa is a symbol of female submission to men and as such no place in our society. Religious symbolism should remain private.
Although pseudoscientific belief, such as homeopathy, doesn't often hurt anyone, it also doesn't help anyone, other than the placbo effect. All superstitious belief, such as clarevoyance, reiki, homeopathy, acupunture, esp, mediums, etc, should also be treated with skepticism.
David Bain
After being found guilty at his first trial, his publicly funded defence team wants to quibble over police procedure hoping to get this cold blooded murderer off the hook. and they now have
Found NOT GUILTY - what a joke!
Drugs
The cause of, and answer to, most of life's problems - Homer j Simpson
I look at drug legalisation because I believe that drug taking is a health issue, not a criminal one. More harm is done by treating users as criminals than by treating them as human beings in search of recreation and escape. Education, especially of the young, and treatment, for the addicted, are areas where money should be spent, not on police, courts and jails.
Great Video Links
Ray Comfort - A Banana - The Atheists Nightmare
Nick Gisburne - A PineApple - The Christians Nighmare
Nick Gisburne - Teachings in the Koran
Yes, taken out of context if you a Muslim apologist, and if you are a Christian don't get too smug, the Old Testament is not much different.