Interesting Links for 31-1-2011

[andrewducker]

• God Is In The TV interview the ever fabulous Hannah Werdmuller
  (tags: HannahWerdmuller music interview)
• 750,000 more people 'to pay higher rate of tax' (and 500,000 to stop paying income tax at all)
  (tags: tax uk)
• MAXO signals - a solution to the Fermi Paradox by Charlie Stross
  (tags: charlesstross writing scifi)
• Battlestar Choclactica. This is why the Cylons were chasing it. They were desperate for chocolate.
  (tags: battlestar bsg chocolate)
• Note: If you are impressed by a female science blogger do not convey this by telling her her tits are gorgeous...
  (tags: gender science sexism blogging feminism)
• This Is Your Artistic Brain on Drugs
  (tags: art drugs)
• Why one wife now chooses to shop alone
  (tags: shopping funny)
• Tiny Adorable Animals That Will Make You Squee
  (tags: cute animals)
• Myths RETOLD: A VERITABLE SMORGASBORD OF MYTHOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND AWESOME!
  (tags: mythology funny)
• Juden raus (Jews Out!) a boardgame from 1930s Germany.
  (tags: germany boardgames Jews)
• Ignosticism. I keep encountering this, and then forgetting about it. Which is a shame, as it's a very useful position.
  (tags: ignosticism religion knowledge)
• Ayn Rand Received Social Security, Medicare
  (tags: aynrand objectivism politics funny)

Comments

[jack]

Yeah, the description of your friend is really evocative. Perhaps once-a-year CoE Christians (even members of the church) are a good example of believing something, but the core of that something not _necessarily_ involving a literal God.

Which I don't want to push too loudly because it's somewhat prejudicial to people who don't want CoE to become associated with "non-serious" belief. But also, it is a place (like many religious have) where people often get involved with church events, and socialise with the congregation, and look to them for spiritual support, yet maybe get less actually religious.

And many people either stay and don't mention it, or drift away, possibly coming to identify as atheist or agnostic. (I'm sure there are hits for "atheist bishop", though I haven't tried it :))

But from that perspective, an approach of not picking at the definition of God may actually be a very useful one.

[andrewducker]

Yup, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who get something out of the social elements and don't want to mention that they don't believe in case they have to stop spending time with their friends.