Golliwogs should make a comeback.

Regarding #19. I'm for electrifying boxes of "sample" donuts and setting up hidden cameras.


Ya'll know that would be funny as hell.

24. Societal segregation for rape/molestation victims.

(Some) Muslims do this already ...

http://www.allamericanblogger.com/14843/14-year-old-girl-whipped-to-death-in-bangladsh/
and
This long link here

Gotta love religion, or die!

(Some) Muslims do this already ...

http://www.allamericanblogger.com/14843/14-year-old-girl-whipped-to-death-in-bangladsh/
and
This long link here

I read about this a while ago, so sad.

I don't like how people quote something a bunch of complete idiots did as a reason that XYZ is bad/evil/stupid. It's a fucking lazy way to persuade people and often works.

Actually, I was just saying that something listed was already done, and I showed where/how ...

All religion is bad, except for those who use it to network, play it to their advantage and prey on the faithful.

There is a new series called Curiosity. The first episode is Stephen Hawking explaining why there is no need for a creator of the universe. So far there are only two episodes I know of, both are very well done.

http://tubeplus.me/player/1963022/Curiosity/season_1/episode_1/Did_God_Create_the_Universe%3F/

Actually, I was just saying that something listed was already done, and I showed where/how ...

Wasn't aimed at anyone here.

I think religion reflects the society, rather than religion shaping the society.

If you look at the way Christianity (which has proven to be a particularly malleable religious tradition) has changed over the course of just American history, you see it mirroring or sometimes lagging cultural shifts and changes in cultural values.  Just looking at the past decade or two - we've seen things like the prosperity gospel gain major popularity lagging behind the cultural shift to wanton consumerism and materialism.  Peculiar strains of evangelical Christianity have popped up and gained popularity, particularly in communities where the sense of community has been decimated by Wal-Mart and the loss of meaningful labor. 

I think religion is low hanging fruit and an easy scapegoat.  It's easy to sneer at someone you believe is less intellectually developed than you are.  But eliminating religion would do nothing to address the social issues facing countries today - the myths and values that support American culture are far more ingrained and much more difficult to identify than pointing at someone you think is silly for believing in religion.  They're believed by atheists and theists alike.  And even in the face of systemic failures, blatant lies, and substantial data showing these myths will lead to dire consequences for our society (and for the rest of the world as well), most people aren't willing to challenge them. 

Intellectual elitism or no, I'd still be in favor of a limited elimination of religion from such realms as government and the educational system... When religion and mundane reality conflict, policies based on religion should (in my estimation) take a backseat to those based on pragmatism and science. The consequences of total religious tolerance are simply too dire I think.

As a matter of public policy, I would prefer all religions to be licensed by the state and termination of that license and forfeiture of assets if the religious body attempts to influence policy.

Of course, I think that all corporate charters would be subject to termination and forfeiture of assets if they demonstrate a pattern of fraud or commit egregious fraud.

I'd subscribe to that newsletter.

Agreed.

Corporate fraud is difficult to prove, is it fraud is we hype a device for sale we know we will make completely obsolete in 6 months.

Or is it just a question of buyer beware.

No.  That's not really fraud.  There's a general assumption among tech savvy people that technology, particularly electronics, become obsolete rather quickly.  And even though they're technically obsolete, they typically still function satisfactorily (unless you expect them to function exactly the same as a current model). 

I'm speaking more in terms of the sort of fraud that has negative societal repercussions.  For instance, the recent banking fraud.  Bank of America with the repeated recent examples of attempting to foreclose properties they don't hold a mortgage to, or properties that are in compliance with the terms of their mortgage contracts.  Companies that falsify scientific studies, push off-label & untested applications for drugs, falsify compliance with environmental or safety regulations, etc.

As a matter of public policy, I would prefer all religions to be licensed by the state and termination of that license and forfeiture of assets if the religious body attempts to influence policy.

Of course, I think that all corporate charters would be subject to termination and forfeiture of assets if they demonstrate a pattern of fraud or commit egregious fraud.

I'm all for a "put your money where your mouth is" type of religious scrutiny in the U.S.

If a church/religion decides it wants to play a role in politics, then they should lose their tax-free status.

Yeah, make them pay their admission fees like everyone else ...
... (who, as in "everyone else", coincidentally don't get to really say fuck-all, even though we pay our taxes)

It's funny. Religions are tax exempt because they are charitable organizations and we want to encourage that. Fine. But religions usually mandate charity as part of their creed. What sort of charitable sacrifice is it if it's got to be made easy for them? Charity is supposed to be given regardless of earthly difficulties.

Heck, the government should take advantage of the situation and tax them at 2x the rate. It'll be a service to the country and the religion. Wouldn't it be nice for the religions to know who are the truly faithful and who are the ones that are only faithful in fair weather? If it's even more of a sacrifice for the faithful then presumably Jesus will love them even more, right?

I'm on the fence about how serious I am...

good luck with that, i suggest investing in bumper stickers to get the idea out there... xD

I see "Tax Churches" bumper stickers all the time ...
... and I live in the bottom of the "bible belt"

One time I considered putting "Ban bumperstickers" on my bumper in black sharpie but then I realized that I didn't have a sharpie and that I was really pretty much too lazy to do anything about that fact. True story.

They say they are permanent but actually they fade out over time.

Darn you and your spelling corrections. I had an awesome retort all worked out that capitalized on it beautifully. And it only took me 10 or 15 minutes to come up with. Now the world will never know.

They say they are permanent but actually they fade out over time.

I wish that were true about people's religious beliefs.

We're getting there...

not even gonna go there.

We already have; about 2 forums down ...

One time I considered putting "Ban bumperstickers" on my bumper in black sharpie but then I realized that I didn't have a sharpie and that I was really pretty much too lazy to do anything about that fact. True story.

Huh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpies_(Australian_subculture)