January 30, 2014
To Pope
Francis
We need an
economy that is founded on the idea that not only are we our sisters and
brothers' keeper. They are ours. We must go beyond charity, to creating a moral
economy in which we eliminate poverty through full employment. Jobs that are
designed to meet the real needs of real people are our credo. Social service
and community and not wealth, property, profit, power and narcissism is the
foundation of real democracy, compassion and love. All people on this planet
are one nation and each is a part of the earth. If this is the message I stand
with him and by him.
January 31, 2014
Nature or God by Michael Joseph Francisconi
The Buddhism of the Pali scriptures does not worship or make reference to the divine. Taoism of Lao Tzu or ChuangTzu talks about nature not the divine. The Greek atomists like Democritus and Leucippus, Greek and Roman Epicurean philosophies of Epicurus and Lucretius were either atheists or they held the gods to be irrelevant.
Atheism is
the belief that empirical evidence for the divine is lacking. It is lacking in
the same way that there exist no compelling proof for Unicorns or Pegasus. In
addition Ferengi, Cardassian, Klingon, Angosian, Bajoran, or Lela Dax who joined a Trill cannot be proven to exist other
than science fiction characters. The point is atheism is not a profound faith
in the non-existence of god or gods. But atheism simply states there is
insufficient evidence to waist time worrying about the nature or existence of
the divine. This does go beyond a
lack of faith in God. Atheists state God is not necessary. At a certain level
all atheists are agonistic in the same way that it is impossible to prove that
a hot pastrami sandwich, double shot of espresso and a shot of Canadian whisky
eternally rotates around Pluto without ever changing temperatures. It is so
remote a chance that to considerate is absurd. At this point our discussion has
slipped into intellectual masturbation.
Humanism
claims people are capable of being ethical and decent and becoming richly
fulfilled without belief in God. In fact belief in the divine makes this more
difficult.
Pantheism
adds to atheism a profound celebration of life and a reverence for the
magnitude of the universe and a respectful exaltation and the veneration of the
earth. Science is the way we gain understanding and respect for humanity, life,
the earth and the universe. God as a term if it is used at all is an emotive
expression not a description of reality.
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