BadMormon

God Wins! Kills more people than Satan!!!! Go GOD!

In Defence Of Reason: God vs Satan

Apparently you don’t need God to be good, just a bunch of people watching to judge you about your behavior

In one of their own studies, they primed half the participants with a spirituality-themed word jumble (including the words divine and God) and gave the other half the same task with nonspiritual words. Then, they gave all the participants $10 each and told them that they could either keep it or share their cash reward with another (anonymous) subject. Ultimately, the spiritual-jumble group parted with more than twice as much money as the control. Norenzayan and Shariff suggest that this lopsided outcome is the result of an evolutionary imperative to care about one’s reputation. If you think about God, you believe someone is watching. This argument is bolstered by other research that they review showing that people are more generous and less likely to cheat when others are around. More surprisingly, people also behave better when exposed to posters with eyes on them.

… cut a few paragraphs…

In his new book, Society Without God, Phil Zuckerman looks at the Danes and the Swedes—probably the most godless people on Earth. They don’t go to church or pray in the privacy of their own homes; they don’t believe in God or heaven or hell. But, by any reasonable standard, they’re nice to one another. They have a famously expansive welfare and health care service. They have a strong commitment to social equality. And—even without belief in a God looming over them—they murder and rape one another significantly less frequently than Americans do.

Denmark and Sweden aren’t exceptions. A 2005 study by Gregory Paul looking at 18 democracies found that the more atheist societies tended to have relatively low murder and suicide rates and relatively low incidence of abortion and teen pregnancy.

So, this is a puzzle. If you look within the United States, religion seems to make you a better person. Yet atheist societies do very well—better, in many ways, than devout ones.

The latest research on the correlation between religion and niceness. – By Paul Bloom – Slate Magazine.

God Punishes California For Banning Gay Marriage

Exercise in Futility: God Punishes California For Banning Gay Marriage

Mormons Leave the Church over Prop 8 (most were mostly gone already)

As a member of the LDS church I was always taught to love one another and to treat everyone with a certain amount of respect. The position the church took on this particular issue went against everything I learned from the church. Not only was the church’s position discriminatory, but it was also hateful.

I found it extremely strange that it took the church 14 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act to allow black members to hold the priesthood. I just excused this inaction as a mistake, but now as I see history repeat itself I realize that it wasn’t a mistake and the Mormon Church will always discriminate.

My whole family has been traumatized by the church’s efforts and will be sending in letters of resignations.  See the complete letter here: http://signingforsomething.org

Pam’s House Blend:: Mormons Resigning Despite Strong Heritage, Citing ‘Hatred’ by LDS Church
I guess it’s time I make it official as well.  I’m not sure that people are leaving in droves but the above quote from one of the folks who is departing pretty much sums up how I’ve felt about the whole thing.  Although I figured out it wasn’t divine years ago.  Just didn’t realize they were gonna get all up in my secular life.  More letter excerpts at the link.

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Because my non-Catholic Body and My Rights to it are all about the Pope Really.

The nations Catholic bishops Tuesday approved a statement declaring that if the Democratic-controlled Congress and the incoming Obama administration enact proposed abortion rights legislation, they would see it as an attack on the church.

Bishops Call Obama-Supported Abortion Rights Bill a Threat to Catholic Church – washingtonpost.com.

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I mean really. Celibate old white guys who have nothing to do with raising children or pregnancy or really anything are calling this an attack? But who are the people actually being bombed? Killed? Screeched at? Visually assaulted with gruesome signs and misinformation? The women GETTING the abortions. So once again, WHO’S BEING ATTACKED?

Women’s Rights: Death Inducing Blasphemy

In a dramatic volte-face, the Afghan Senate has withdrawn its confirmation of a death sentence on Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, the student convicted of blasphemy for downloading a report on womens rights from the internet.
…
Mr Kambakshs family and friends had complained that he was not allowed legal representation at his trial, which was held in secret. Fundamentalist Muslim clerics say he should not have access to the normal right of appeal under the state because he was convicted of the religious crime of blasphemy. The Senate statement yesterday explicitly recognised that the student should have the right to a defence lawyer as well as the right to appeal.

Lifeline for Pervez: Afghan Senate withdraws demand for death sentence -
Asia, World – The Independent.