Life

One of the major lines of demarcation and a constant source of disagreement between theists and atheists is that of Life. Primarily human life, but in general, all life. How did living things get their beginnings, how did we come about as a result of creation? It’s one of the great mysteries of…ummm…life. How life began.

And of course, most theists believe that life began when their particular god created them. Christians believe the story in the Bible about Adam and Eve, either literally or figuratively. In either case, it’s a supernatural being that consciously and affirmatively decided to create that which we call life. Other religions have their own creation myths, but they all share a beginning story that attempts to explain how we got here.

Can We Give Texas Back to Mexico?

Texas has a fairly long history of being ruled by different countries, hence the term “Six Flags over Texas” (Spain, France, Mexico, Independence, US, Confederacy, and back to the US). Flying the current US flag these days over the Capitol in Austin seems to be contrary to the principles that resulted in the creation of that flag in the first place. Texas is quickly becoming the “Stupid State”, and because of its size and buying power, is trying to drag the rest of the country down into a pit of  religious based ignorance with it.

Sex and Delusion

There’s some sobering information in a story in today’s local paper about the rise of sexually transmitted diseases in the state.  The incidence of syphilis and gonorrhea, two diseases that are both perfectly treatable and preventable, are increasing, especially among the young. Seems like, statistically, people are getting stupider. I know this is the 21st century, but one would think that we would be better at this by now, given the advanced state of our knowledge primarily in the areas of science and medicine. The appearance of AIDS and HIV in our medical experience seemed to have had an early dampening effect on the population, but that’s wearing off. The apparent answer to this, for some Christians, is to stop having sex outside of marriage.