• October
  
  
• September
  
  
• August
  
  
• July
  
  
• June
  
  
• May
  
  
• April
  
  
• March
  
  
• February
  
  
• January

• 2018:

  • December
    
    
  • November
    
    

Why this web site is different.

Essays planned for the near future.

Why does this web site have so many essays on sexual & gender minorities?

2019-October's selection

'

""The Limits of Tolerance: Enlightenment Values and Religious Fanaticism" by Denis Lacorne and C. Jon Delogu

Amazon book reviews:

• "I simply donâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~t know a book on toleration that compares to this one. Denis Lacorne has managed to weave together both an intellectual history of ideas about toleration and a wide-ranging international survey of policies related to it. Theory and practice come together in a very illuminating way and will expand the American readerâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~s horizon beyond our borders." (Mark Lilla, author of The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics)
  
  
• "Living in a religiously tolerant society, Americans no longer understand what the challenge of achieving religious toleration originally meant: learning to coexist with beliefs and practices that one detested. Denis Lacorne begins this critical survey by recalling the great Enlightenment voices for toleration: Locke, Voltaire, and the American founders. But he then examines modern European and American disputes to demonstrate why the struggle for toleration and free exercise remains so problematic â~ez_euro~~ez_bull~ a fight that never quite ends but that we grasp much better after reading Lacorne's crisp and incisive chapters." (Jack N. Rakove, author of Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution)
  
  
• "A timely, erudite, and insightful book that sheds light on issues concerning whether and when contemporary democracies should restrict the practices and beliefs of nonmainstream religious and political groups. It is the best book written on this subject to date." (Bruce Cain, author of Democracy More or Less: Americaâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~s Political Reform Quandary)
  
  
• "He gives no pat answers, but an implicit lesson runs throughout. Defending toleration is not like protecting a jewel. It takes fixity of aim but also a feel for the changing context, persistence with a task that never ends and readiness to start again. Toleration does gradually spread. It can also suddenly vanish." (The Economist.

This web site had 14 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays so far during 2019-SEP, including the above book review:

Proofs 15 to 25 that the Earth is not flat

Climate change

An article donated by Susan Humphreys: Should all religious beliefs be ~ez_ldquo~fully and regularly represented in our most important national conversations~ez_rdquo~?

Main menu: Abortion access: All sides of the issue

Worldwide student demonstration on global warming

Cosmology: Ancient & Modern Concepts

About the afterlife: Heaven, Hell, Limbo, Purgatory, Reincarnation, Extermination, Psychopomp ....

Abortion access: Developments during 2018 & 2019

Links-to-addiction-disability-mental-and-physical-health-info.htm

Proofs 26 to 36 of a Spherical Earth. Are Flat Earthers Creating a Hoax?

Part 27 of "Conflicts during President Trump's Administration" 2018-OCT to 2019-OCT

2007 to 2019:Religious affiliation by state. Decline of Christianity in the U.S.What people think of other faith groups

The proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

2019-September's selection

'

""The Limits of Tolerance: Enlightenment Values and Religious Fanaticism" by Denis Lacorne and C. Jon Delogu

Amazon book reviews:

• "I simply donâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~t know a book on toleration that compares to this one. Denis Lacorne has managed to weave together both an intellectual history of ideas about toleration and a wide-ranging international survey of policies related to it. Theory and practice come together in a very illuminating way and will expand the American readerâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~s horizon beyond our borders." (Mark Lilla, author of The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics)
  
  
• "Living in a religiously tolerant society, Americans no longer understand what the challenge of achieving religious toleration originally meant: learning to coexist with beliefs and practices that one detested. Denis Lacorne begins this critical survey by recalling the great Enlightenment voices for toleration: Locke, Voltaire, and the American founders. But he then examines modern European and American disputes to demonstrate why the struggle for toleration and free exercise remains so problematic â~ez_euro~~ez_bull~ a fight that never quite ends but that we grasp much better after reading Lacorne's crisp and incisive chapters." (Jack N. Rakove, author of Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution)
  
  
• "A timely, erudite, and insightful book that sheds light on issues concerning whether and when contemporary democracies should restrict the practices and beliefs of nonmainstream religious and political groups. It is the best book written on this subject to date." (Bruce Cain, author of Democracy More or Less: Americaâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~s Political Reform Quandary)
  
  
• "He gives no pat answers, but an implicit lesson runs throughout. Defending toleration is not like protecting a jewel. It takes fixity of aim but also a feel for the changing context, persistence with a task that never ends and readiness to start again. Toleration does gradually spread. It can also suddenly vanish." (The Economist.

This web site had 21 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays so far during 2019-SEP, including the above book review:

U.S. Methane emission limits to be relaxed, thus increasing global warming

What causes sexual orientation

"The End of the World" is predicted for some times in our future

"Books and other items about Buddhism"

Amount of Internet interest in a flat earth

Two essays donated by Susan Humphreys: More hate-motivated mass shootings and A Review of Chris Hedges book: ~ez_ldquo~I Don't Believe in Atheists~ez_rdquo~

Worldwide demonstration against global warming

Both the number and the rate of abortions drop in the U.S.

Biblical predictions of the end of the world, the "Rapture" and apocalypse

Landmark scientific report submitted to the UN Climate Action Summit

United Methodist Church is expected to split over unresolvable conflicts concerning sexual orientation

Surveys of people's satisfaction with their government's efforts to reduce global warming

President Trump delivers UN talk on religious freedom

Internet Resources About Emergency Preparedness

A witch memorial is proposed in Scotland

President Trump and 16 year-old Sweedish advocate for the climate exchanage barbs

"Mad Man Hughes" travels in his rocket, attempting to prove that the Earth is flat

Nearby stars discovered with Earth-like planets Tthat might support life!

2019-August's selection

'

"Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth," by Mark Hertsgaard

Amazon book review:

"A fresh take on climate change by a renowned journalist driven to protect his daughter, your kids, and the next generation whoâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~ll inherit the problem.

For twenty years, Mark Hertsgaard has investigated global warming for outlets including theã~ez_euro~~ez_euro~New Yorker, NPR, Time, Vanity Fair, and The Nation. But the full truth did not hit home until he became a father and, soon thereafter, learned that climate change had already arrived -- a century earlier than forecast -- with impacts bound to worsen for decades to come. Hertsgaard's daughter Chiara, now five years old, is part of what he has dubbed "Generation Hot"-- the two billion young people worldwide who will spend the rest of their lives coping with mounting climate disruption. ..."

"Hertsgaard provides 'pictures' of what is expected over the next fifty years: Chicagoâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~s climate transformed to resemble Houstonâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~s; dwindling water supplies and crop yields at home and abroad; the redesign of New York and other cities against mega-storms and sea-level rise. Above all, he shows who is taking wise, creative precautions. For in the end, HOT is a book about how weâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~ll survive."

This web site had 13 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays so far during 2019-AUG, including the above book review.

An article donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: "Trying to Understand Religion"

More about making the Internet a safe place for kids

2018-9: Gun Control laws in the U.S.

Same-sex marriage in American Samoa

Climate change, global warming, and other environmental concerns

Atheist symbols

World record June & July temperatures

2019-AUG: Trump Administration would facilitate religiously discrimination by federal contractors

Background material. Differentiating among Theists, Agnostics, and Atheists

When does human personhood begin?

The fate of the "Peace Cross" in Bladensburg, MD: Part 1 Part 2

Conservative federal leader makes committment on same-sex marriage and abortion access Atheists~ez_rdquo~

2019-July's selection

Book review:

"Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chair of The Elders, and Chair of South Africa~ez_rsquo~s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, along with his daughter, the Reverend Mpho Tutu, offer a manual on the art of forgiveness -- helping us to realize that we are all capable of healing and transformation.

Tutu's role as the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission taught him much about forgiveness. If you asked anyone what they thought was going to happen to South Africa after apartheid, almost universally it was predicted that the country would be devastated by a comprehensive bloodbath. Yet, instead of revenge and retribution, this new nation chose to tread the difficult path of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

This web site had 26 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays so far during 2019-JUL, including the above book review.

A review by Contributing Editor Susan Humphrey of David Silverman's book: "Fighting God, An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World"

Predictions that "the end of the world" will come sometime between 2017 & 2019 inclusive

Missouri's last abortion clinic will be allowed to stay open until at least 2019-AUG-01

Canada's smallest province is getting smaller. Canadian Parliament declares a national climate emergency

Lawmakers flee Oregon. Topless German woman arrested. Three-day heatwave in Europe. Canada: Expert panel issues report

Glossary of religious and spiritual terms starting with the letters Aa to Am or An

Shootings, other violence, and bullying in American schools

An article by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: "Original Sin: The Most Destructive of Doctrines"

Climate Change update for 2019-MAY-JUL, Part 35.

2019: Northern Ireland Legislature takes first step towards marriage equality

Inerrancy: Is the Bible free of error? All points of view

Seeking world-class universal health care in the U.S.

Web sites discussing addiction, mental health, physical health, healing, disability, meditation, pregnancy, counseling, senior communities, etc. A link to an article on "Drowsy Driving" was added.

Web sites discussing addiction, mental health, physical health, etc. A link to an article on "Mental Health at University" was added.

Pre-marital sex practices: 2019: Conflict on the TV program: "The Batchelorette"

2018: Abortion access in Northern Ireland

Reparative therapy: News items from the media: 1998 to 2019

Proofs 15 to 22 that the Earth is not flat

Persecution of Christians

Same-sex marriage in Canada

2019: The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) takes a baby step on same-sex marriages

An article by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys:

2019: Creation of a Federal U.S. Human Rights Advisory Panel

Introduction to racism in the U.S.

Religious opposition to the construction of the world's largest telescope on Hawaii's "Big Island."

The End Of The World, As We Know It

2019-June's selection

"What Would a Muslim Say: Conversations, Questions, and Answers About Islam," by Ahmed Lotfy Rashed

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
U.S. $5.01 in Kindle format.
U.S. $10.95 plus postage in paperback format.

Author's book review:

"Why This Matters NOW

• "Why do you Muslims pray five times a day?"
• "What happens to people who do not believe in God?"
• "Why are so many Muslims quoting their holy book in the name of violence?"
• "What are the authoritative sources of knowledge in Islam?"
• "Why do your clerics condemn Judaism and Christian traditions?"

These days, Islam is no stranger to controversy. There are many questions, fears, and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. I believe these books can answer questions, build bridges, and promote understanding.

Since 2009, I have facilitated interfaith dialogues with many different people. The conversations in these books are real. Some are curious, some are concerned, some are hostile, some are academic, and some are soul-searching. My hope is that this can be a small step towards better understanding and harmony."

This web site had 45 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays during 2019-JUN, including the above book review.

• 2018: Mississippi Legislature creates law to ban abortions after 15 weeks gestation. Law is overturned by a federal court
  
  
• 2018-9: "Multiple states pass "heartbeat" anti-abortion laws. Actor Alyssa Milano proposes sex strike. Court finds Mississippi heartbeat law. Missouri Senate passes 8 week ban
  
  
• MA Trans student becomes Prom King
  
  
• Law prohibiting mental health professionals from engaging in reparative therapy is signed into law in Colorado
  
  
• Attacks on Aboriginal girls & women in North America
  
  
• Predictions that "the end of the world" will come sometime between 2017 & 2019 incl.
  
  
• A brief explanation of why people have different sexual orientations
  
  
• Proposed straight pride parade in Boston
  
  
• Abortion access: When do life & human personhood begin?
  
  
• An essay donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: "From belief to being"
  
  
• Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) In Holland - the Netherlands: Misreporting of Noa Pothoven's suicide at age 17.
  
  
• Web sites discussing mental health, dementia, senior living etc.: Part 1 Part 2
  
  
• A Cruise to Antarctica is planned for Flat Earthers
  
  
• Botswana decriminalises two forms of sexual behavior
  
  
• 2019-MAY: Keyna retains laws decriminalizing same-sex sexual activity
  
  
• State of Missouri attempts to close its last clinic abortion clinic
  
  
• Notre Dame Cathedral: French Senate passes bill about its restoraton. First mass to be celebrated since the fire
  
  
• Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) laws
  
  
• Religious conservatives and their interactions with the LGBT community: Pastor calls for execution of sexual minorities.
  
  
• 2019-JUN: Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage
  
  
• Suspected gunman in New Zealand mass shooting in Christchurch mosques pleads not guilty
  
  
• Pope Francis mandates system to report abuse by clerics in the Roman Catholic Church
  
  
• Separating cremated ashes
  
  
• 2019: Censored children TV shows with LGBT content
  
  
• Web sites discussing addiction, mental health, physical health, etc.
  
  
• National Network of Abortion Funds facilitates abortion access
  
  
• New York State eliminates religious exemption to child vaccination
  
  
• Free abortions may become available in NYC
  
  
• Canadian Parliament declares a national climate emergency
  
  
• What the Bible says and means about homosexuality
  
  
• HOMOSEXUALITY: is it an advantage to society? Should gays, lesbians, and heterosexuals have equal treatment under law?
  
  
• Public Opinion Poll on U.S transgender servicemembers
  
  
• The fate of the "Peace Cross" in Bladensburg, MD: Part 1, Part 2
  
  
• An article by David W.T. Brattston: The Veiling of Christian Women
  
  
• Proofs 23 to 33 of a Spherical Earth. Are Flat Earthers Creating a Hoax?
  
  
• Two articles by Alton C. Thompson: Resurrecting An Old Concept of Religion and Paul had the answer
  
  
• Climate Change, Part 33. Republican lawmakers in Oregon flee state in order to paralyze the Legislature.
  
  
• 2019-MAY: Gallup Poll on U.S. public's support for transgender persons in the military
  
  
• Iceland passes major law concerning transgender persons
  
  
• Heat wave hits Europe
  
  
• Web sites discussing addiction, mental health, physical health, healing, disability, meditation, therapy, counseling, safety, etc.
  
  
• Hoax: UK Holocaust education ban
  
  
• There is no indication that the Notre Dame fire was of criminal origin
  
  
• Colorado law facilitates transgender persons updating birth certificate
  
  

2019-May's selection

"The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World" by Bart D. Ehrman.

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
U.S. $10.15 in Kindle format.
15.53 in hardcover, or U.S. $17.00 in paperback, plus postage.

Book reviews:

• ~ez_ldquo~How did a small, provincial Jewish sect called Christianity convert the mighty pagan Roman Empire? Bart Ehrman answers this baffling question with the same wit, passion, and rigorous scholarship that have made him one of the most popular religion writers in the world today. The Triumph of Christianity is a marvelous book.~ez_rdquo~ 
  Reza Aslan, New York Times bestselling author of Zealot
  
  
• ~ez_ldquo~The great appeal of Ehrman~ez_rsquo~s approach to Christian history has always been his steadfast humanizing impulse... Ehrman always thinks hard about history~ez_rsquo~s winners and losers without valorizing the losers or demonizing the winners~ez_hellip~ Reading about how an entire culture~ez_rsquo~s precepts and traditions can be overthrown without anyone being able to stop it may not be heartening at this particular historical moment. All the more reason to spend time in the company of such a humane, thoughtful and intelligent historian.~ez_rdquo~
  The New York Times Book Review
  
  
• ~ez_ldquo~Drawing on a wealth of ancient sources and contemporary historical research, Bart Ehrman weaves complex questions into a vivid, nuanced, and enormously readable narrative.~ez_rdquo~
  Elaine Pagels, National Book Award-winning author of The Gnostic Gospels
  
  
• ~ez_ldquo~Like a good college lecture class, [Ehrman~ez_rsquo~s] book offers both a wealth of historical information and, to make sense of it all, a few plausible theories ~ez_mdash~ including his own. He doesn~ez_rsquo~t tell us what to think. He gives us a lot to think about.~ez_rdquo~
  ~ez_mdash~ Newsday 

This web site had 31 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays during 2019-MAY, including the above book review.

• Transgender persons & transsexuals
  
  
• Movement towards same-sex marriages in Cuba
  
  
• Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting a.k.a. (FGM/C) in North America
  
  
• Anti-semitism: Racially/Religiously based persecution of Jews: 1800 to now
  
  
• Brunei modifies penal code to increase penalties against same-sex behavior
  
  
• The cremation process. Its history. Cremation and burial in the Bible. Non-traditional burials.
  
  
• Cremation among present-day Judeo-Christians. Cremation statistics in the U.S. and Canada. Resomation, Green burials
  
  
• Brunei modifies penal code to include death penalty against some in the LGBT community
  
  
• An overview of salvation in Christianity
  
  
• 2009-2019: Asia Bibi: her arrest for blasphemy in Pakistan over a glass of water
  
  
• Is sex abuse a systemic disorder in the Catholic Church? Pope Francis mandates system to report abuse. Part 8
  
  
• Sex education in schools
  
  
• 2018/9: Many states pass "heartbeat" anti-abortion laws. Actor Alyssa Milano proposes sex strike
  
  
• Articles by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys:
  • Bible Myths, Metaphors and Allegories
    
    
  • The case for 'The Case for God'
    
    
  • What went wrong?
    
    
• An article donated by Alton Thompson: "Religion as a Natural Phenomenon"
  
  
• 2018-MAY-12: Carbon Dioxide levels reach new heights in the Earth's atmosphere
  
  
• Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire in Paris, France (multiple updates)
  
  
• Anti-abortion "heartbeat" bill becomes a law in Georgia
  
  
• The Federal LGBT Equality Act
  
  
• Missouri Senate passes bill to ban abortions after 8 weeks gestation
  
  
• Same-sex marriage banned in American Samoa
  
  
• Brunei modifies penal code. Alabama Public TV censors "Arthur" program
  
  
• An article donated by Daniel Friedmann: Is God necessary to explain the universe?
  
  
• An article donated by Rabbi Allen Maller: Abortion: Islamic and Jewish views on when a human soul enters the human fetus
  
  
• Three atricles by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys about harmful developments in the U.S.
  
  
• Climate Change. Part 33. Water supply for 200 million Asians threatened
  
  
• 2011: Mississippi Proposition 26: (Personhood amendment)Comments by individuals & organizations
  

2019-April's book selection

"My Path Leads to Tibet: The Inspiring Story of HowOne Young Blind Woman Brought Hope to the Blind Children of Tibet" " by Joshua Tongol

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
U.S. $2.89 in Kindle format, or U.S. $13.36 plus postage in paperback.

Amazon.com book review:

Defying everyone+s advice, armed only with her rudimentary knowledge of Chinese and Tibetan, Sabriye Tenberken set out to do something about the appalling condition of the Tibetan blind, who she learned had been abandoned by society and left to die. Traveling on horseback throughout the country, she sought them out, devised a Braille alphabet in Tibetan, equipped her charges with canes for the first time, and set up a school for the blind. Her efforts were crowned with such success that hundreds of young blind Tibetans, instilled with a newfound pride and an education, have now become self-supporting. A tale that will leave no reader unmoved, it demonstrates anew the power of the positive spirit to overcome the most daunting odds.

Review by Lylas G. Mogk, author of "Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight:"

"If you only read one book this year, read this one. Sabriye Tenberken's life is a light to all of us, and her story is its 'ray.' By turns courageously honest, genuinely heartwarming, and uniquely inspiring. She takes us on an extraordinary journey where we witness firsthand the miracles that can happen when one person is truly determined to make a difference. As an emerging leader in the fields of international public health and blind rehabilitation, Tenberken will be in the news for years to come. But it will always be this story that stays with us."

Sabriye Tenberken was a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and a 2006 Mother Theresa Award winner.

New and updated essays during 2019-APR:

This web site had 47 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays during 2019-APR, including the above book review.

• The web site's home page
  
  
• Two new articles by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys:
  • "Resist not Evil"
    
    
  • "Here We Go Again:" A novel Interpretation of the separation of church and state, and what to do about it
    
    
• An article by by Alton C. Thompson: A new title for one of the New Testament parables
  
  
• The death penalty in the U.S. Developments during 2019
  
  
• Islam
  
  
• 2017 to 2018-JUN: Some Behavioral Restrictions in Saudi Arabia are Reduced
  
  
• 2019-MAR: The Tragic Shooting of Almost 100 People in Two New Zealand Mosques. Fifty died!
  
  
• 2018-9: Catholic Cardinal George Pell's conviction for sexually abusing teen boys in Australia. Studies of Causes of Clergy Abuse.
  
  
• The number of Wiccans in the U.S. from 2001 and 2008
  
  
• The number of Wiccans in the U.S. from 2015 to 2018
  
  
• Climate Change:
• Part 32: 2019-JAN-MAR: 2019-JAN/FEB: Collecting plastic trash from the"Great Pacific Garbage Patch."
  
  
• Part 33: 2019-JAN-MAR: If Ocean Cleanup fails.... Public opinion on environment. Climate change in early 2019. Sea rise from Antarctic melting. Denmark fights cow flatulence. Disconnect between the EPA and climate scientists. Change is urgent NOW!
  
  
• Pope Francis requires Vatican sex abuse claims to be reported
  
  
• Brunei modifies penal code to execute persons who have been found guilty of engaging in same-sex sexual behavior
  
  
• Anti-Muslim violence in New Zealand:
  • Part 4: 2019-MAR: Gun Reforms. Alarm about Muslim Support. Call to Prayer broadcast. Mosque Reopened.
  • Part 5: 2019-MAR/APR: Manifesto Ban. Government Investigation. TIME magazine cover. Gun control bill introduced. Chief Censor acts. Senate censures Senator.
    
    
• Islam: The second largest world religion...and growing
  
  
• Web sites discussing addiction, mental health, physical health, healing, disability, meditation, therapy, counseling, etc.
  
  
• Islam: The second largest world religion...and growing
  
  
• Anti-Muslim violence in New Zealand
  
  
• Persons with "CAIS:" "Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome"
  
  
• Can a embryo or fetus feel pain?
  
  
• Divergent beliefs about the nature of homosexuality
  
  
• Proofs 23 to 30 of a spherical, non-flat, Earth
  
  
• About U.S. hate groups, and their listings by the Southern Poverty Law Center
  
  
• An essay donated by Susan Humphreys: "Violence, Toxic Male Culture, and Enablers"
  
  
• Links to anti-bullying sites for children
  
  
• 2019-APR. Bernie Sanders' new Health Care bill
  
  
• Trump and Transgender military service members: Part 11: 2018-NOV to 2019-APR: Anti-Trump Light Show. Trump loses at District Court level, asks to bypass Courts of Appeal and go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. Courts activate ban. Ban goes into effect on 2019-APR-12.

• A brief note on religiously unaffiliated persons:" NOTAs,"who are more commonly called "NONES"
  
  
• Origins & development of life etc. Introduction: scope, promoters, and various theories
  
  
• Human Slavery: Modern-day reparations
  
  
• 2019-MAR: Canada: Proposed Quebec government ban on religious clothing by teachers and other public workers
  
  
• Reparative therapy: News items from the media: 2019-APR: Massachusetts bans adult reparative therapy
  
  
• A book review by Neza T. Reyhan about Rabbi Allen Maller's book: Judaism and Islam as Synergistic Monotheisms"
  
  
• An article donated by Alton C. Thompson: Crafting a Bible-Based Religion
  
  
• Added an easter egg image to our Easter menu
  
  
• The Bible: Menu: Bible versions
  
  
• 2019-APR: Fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France
  
  
• A partial list of names of gods, goddesses, demigods, god-men, etc. who have been sincerely believed in and worshipped
  
  
• Probable retaliations in Sri Lanka & Turkey for the New Zealand mass shooting
  
  
• Resources on protection from earthquake, fire, etc.
  
  
• Religiously motivated violence" One killed, three injured at a California synagogue attack
  
  
• 2017-AUG to 2019-APR: The Nazi/Alt-right/White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville, VA. President Trump's comments; reactions
  
  
• A United Methodist Church court rules in favor of an earlier UMC Conference decision to continue discrimination against the LGBT community
  

2018-March's book selection

"3 Theories of Eve, rything" by Ellis Potter

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
U.S. $2.89 in Kindle format, or U.S. $13.36 plus postage in paperback.

Amazon.com book review:

"What is reality? What is the meaning of human life? Why do we suffer? In this simple volume, international lecturer Ellis Potter explores three major world views that propose radically different answers to these eternal questions. In clear and compelling language, Potter shows us that the three world views, and the unique hope that each offers to humanity, have profoundly different consequences for how we see everyday reality and the ultimate purpose of our lives.

This book is a concise, reader friendly look at 3 basic ways of seeing reality from the East and the West. It wrestles with the problem of suffering and finds solutions in each of the 3 points of view. It is respectful of each world view and engages the readers in some deep and hard-hitting questions about how they identify themselves and how they look at and understand the world. Reading, thinking about and perhaps discussing this book will bring the readers into a clearer focus of their own way of seeing reality.

3 Theories of Everything is based on lectures by the author and has a large section of questions and answers drawn from actual discussions."

This book received an average of 4.3 stars out of a maximum of 5 by Amazon customers.

This web site had 40 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays during 2019-MAR, including the above book review.

• Articles by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys:
  • With malice towards all, who aren~ez_rsquo~t like us"
    
    
  • Winter Wonders
    
    
• A glossary of sexual terms
  • Starting with letters A to C
  • Starting with letters M to P
  
  
• 2019-FEB: U.S. confidence in clergy drops. Clergy "sex abuse" summit meeting held in Vatican
  
  
• U.S. Abortion laws Utah during 2019: Bills to ban abortions of a fetus with Down Syndrome, and to ban almost all abortions after 18 weeks gestation
  
  
• 2017-NOV: Poll finds that 74% of Canadians support same-sex marriage
  
  
• Does religious involvement increase or decrease the suicide rate among LGBT youth?
  
  
• Lawsuit against a Colorado Baker who refused to make a custom cake for transgender customer was dropped
  
  
• Sea level rise due to Antarctic melting
  
  
• Chelsea Clinton says that Satanism "deserves our respect"
  
  
• A woman tells of her visit to Hell
  
  
• 2018-MAY/JUN: New Hampshire protects transgender persons in the state with an anti-discrimination law
  
  
• Attempting to calm distressed gays, or trying to convert gays into ex-gays via reparative therapy
  
  
• Utah House Judiciary Committee defangs reparative therapy bill
  
  
• An article donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys, about: "Yes, But..." responses like: "Yes .... is horrible. But they ...."
  
  
• 2017 to now: Trying to Convert Gays to Heterosexuals using Reparative Therapy. Laws prohibiting such therapy on minors.
  
  
• Impact of ban on transgender persons in the military, Part 11: 2018-NOV to 2019-MAR: Anti-Trump Light Show. Trump loses at District Court level, asks to bypass Courts of Appeal and go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. High Court activates ban.
  
  
• 2018-JUN: The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that provincial law societies can refuse accreditation of university graduates
  
  
• 2019: UMC Conference votes to preserve discrimination against homosexuals. Some congregations react negatively
  
  
• New York State's Pro-Choice Reproductive Health Act
  
  
• 2019-MAR-11: Trump Administration's 2020 budget
  
  
• 2019-MAR-13: The Federal LGBT Equality Act
  
  
• 2018-NOV to 2019-MAR: Cost of transgender persons in the Military
  
  
• 2019-MAR: Mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand2019-MAR: Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4
  
  
• Female Genital Mutilation a.k.a. (FGM/C) in North America & Europe
  
  
• The "Garbage Eaters": common derogatory name for The Brethren: Part 1 Part 2
  
  
• West Virginia government sues Catholic Diocese concerning abuse of children
  
  
• 2018 & 2019: Trying to Convert Gays to Heterosexuals using Reparative Therapy. Laws. Online app's
  
  
• 2019-MAR: Priest stabbed at Mass in Montreal, Canada
  
  
• 2017-AUG: The Nazi/Alt-right/ White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville, VA
  
  
• The occult: Various viewpoints
  
  
• 2019-FEB: Pope Francis visits the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and signs the Human Fraternity Declaration with Sheikh Ah med
  Al-Tayeb, a leading Sunni Imam
  
  
• Climate Change, Part 32: 2019-JAN/FEB: Denmark fights cow flatulence
  
  
• 2018: Mississippi Legislature creates law to ban abortions after 15 weeks gestation. Law is overturned by a federal court
  
  
• 2014 to 2017 in Malta: Civil Unions and Same-sex Marriages

In addition, we make major and minor updates to many essays each day that are not recorded above:

2019-February's book selection:

"The INTRAfaith Conversation: How Do Christians Talk Among Ourselves About INTERfaith Matters " by Susan M. Strouse (Author), Megan Rohrer (Editor)

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
U.S. $7.47 in Kindle format, or U.S. $20.00 plus postage in paperback.

Amazon.com book review:

The Intrafaith Conversation: How Do Christians Talk Among Ourselves About Interfaith Matters? by Susan M. Strouse is a guide for individuals and faith communities to explore what it means to be a Christian in a multifaith world. The Rev. Dr. Susan M. Strouse is currently the pastor at First United Lutheran Church in San Francisco.

This web site had 42 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays during 2019-FEB, including the above book review.

In addition, we make major and minor updates to many essays each day that are not recorded below:

• Three more proofs that the Earth is more or less spherical and not flat

• 2019-JAN/FEB: Vaccines, immunization programs, and potential epidemics

• Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day: About a groundhog's annual prophecy of the end of winter
  
  
• Abortion access: All sides of the issue
  
  
• New York's Reproductive Health Act (2019)
  
  
• Virginia's Late-term Abortion Bill
  
  
• Root Causes of Religious-Secular Conflicts, that Involve Abortion or LGBT Equality
  
  
• Conflicts Over Abortion Access
  
  
• 2017: Shooting at a mosque in Quebec shakes Canada. Part 4. The aftermath
  
  
• Scapegoating: The transferability of sin
  
  
• Can humans assess God's will through prayer?
  
  
• Essays donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: Forgive us our Trespasses, Seeing Each Other in Dialogue, and Wise Words to Ponder at All Times: About Meeting Dissent With Courage
  
  
• About the Roman Catholic Church
  
  
• Past & present religious/ethical/moral conflicts: Some settled; some starting; some dissipating; Some low key; others very active
  
  
• Beliefs about evolution, creationism, etc.
  
  
• Conflicting quotations about the origins and development of the species, and of the Earth itself
  
  
• 2019-FEB: Bills in the Kansas Legislature concerning LGBT discrimination & same-sex mariage
  
  
• The "Caravan of Despair:" U.S. Government problems: Central American immigrants. Election fraud detected in North Carolina. 7-year-old girl dies in Border Patrol custody. Poll indicates "Government: as most important problem.
  
  
• An essay donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys about George Lakoff's book: "Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think"
  
  
• A U.S. Court of Appeals rules in favor of President Trump's Ban on Transgender military. Intersexual individual seeks a different passport ID
  
  
• Monte Benson donated a series of essays on the Earthâ~ez_euro~~ez_trade~s age and the text of Genesis 1 in the Bible. It was updated by this site's webmaster
  
  
• The rights of women, primarily in Saudi Arabia
  
  
• 1998 to now: The Worldwide Persecution of Christians
  
  
• Human rights laws in the U.S., Canada, other countries and UN Cpvenants: Part 1, Part 2
  
  
• 2018-2019: The tragedy of Missionary John Allen Chau's death at the hands of the Sentinelese people
  
  
• 2001 to now: Recent hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S
  
  
• Re-write or updated 12 essays dealing with Atheism
  
  
• U.S. confidence in Catholic clergy drops. Clergy "sex abuse" summit meeting held in Vatican. Part 6 of a series of essays on abuse of minors by Catholic priests
  
  
• Federal court issues ruling against all-male military draft
  
  
• Same-sex/gay marriage in Bermuda: made available, banned, and restored
  
  
• Gallup reports President Trump's approval/disapproval ratings
  
  
• Abortion laws in the U.S., Canada, & the rest of the world: Laws restricting/allowing abortion access, etc.
  
  
• 2019-MAR: Vaccines, immunization programs, and potential epidemics

2019-January's book selection:

"The History of the Devil: With 350 Illustrations" By Paul Carus.

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
U.S. $9.71 in Kindle format, or U.S. $16.95 plus postage in paperback.

Amazon.com book review:

"A pioneer in the promotion of interfaith dialogue, Paul Carus (1852~ez_ndash~1919) was a highly regarded writer on philosophy and comparative religion and a major influence in introducing Buddhist and other Eastern ideas to the West. The History of the Devil is his magnum opus, exploring the evolution of the idea of evil and the concept of Satan from antiquity to modern times.

Carus follows the devil around the world, highlighting satanic manifestations in a fascinating variety of cultures and historic periods. In addition to examining the concepts of good and evil as religious and philosophical ideas, he discusses the particulars of demonology in ancient Egypt and Persia, in Hindu and Buddhist thought, in early Christianity, and throughout the Inquisition and Reformation. At once scholarly and intriguing, the text is enhanced by 350 rare and fascinating illustrations."

This web site had 63 newly created, re-written, or significantly updated essays during 2019-JAN, including the above book review.

In addition, we make major and minor updates to many essays each day that are not recorded below:

• An article donated by Rabbi Allen S. Maller: New Genes For Ancient Hindus And Jews
  
  
• 2018-JUL to now: UMC Church's Continuing Conflicts. Bishops' Letter to the LGBT Community.
  
  
• Climate change & other environmental concerns: Available books (Cont'd)
  
  
• Religious/Ethical/Moral conflicts: 2018-9: Gun Control laws in the U.S.
  
  
• Can humans assess God's will through prayer?
  
  
• Concerns about the end of the world happening on 2012-DEC-21
  
  
• Prophecies of TEOTWAWKI: ("The End Of The World As We Know It")
  
  
• Climate Change, Part 32: Collecting plastic trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
  
  
• Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in Pennsylvania, Germany, etc; Reactions: Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
  
  
• Evangelical Christians vs. Child Protection Law in Ontario, Canada
  
  
• Background material on Christmas ... Jesus and the first radio program.
  
  
• Transgender persons & transsexuals
  
  
• Proofs 15 to 23 that the Earth is not flat.
  
  
• A U.S. Court of Appeals rules in favor of President Trump's Ban of some Transgender persons from the Military (the Mattis Plan)
  
  
• U.S. healthcare 2017 to 2018 incl.: Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23
  
  
• Tentative future religious and spiritual book monthly recommentations: 2019-Febuary to 2019-July
  
  
• An article donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: Small Men and FEAR!
  
  
• Climate Change. Part 32. Climate change at the start of 2019.
  
  
• Trump Administration plans to define all transgender persons in the U.S. out of existence. Reactions by by celebrities and transgender distress/crisis lines. Virginia teacher fired.
  
  
• Transgender/transsexual terminology
  
  
• Shared belief in the "Golden Rule" (a/k.a. Ethics of Reciprocity)
  
  
• Transgender children. Options that are available to transgender persons. Terminology. Is being transgender a "disorder?" (Part 4) (Part 5)
  
  
• An essay donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: What is sufficient evidence to justify belief?
  
  
• The U.S. Supreme Court delivers a potentially devastating blow to transgender members of the military
  
  
• "When does human personhood begin?" -- at conception, when a heartbeat can be detected, at quickening, when the higher brain functions first turn on, at birth...."
  
  
• Transgender persons and transsexuals
  
  
• Environment, Climate Change and Global Warming and Ocean Level Rise (Menu and 27 essays)

2018-December's selection:

"Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior" By Bart D. Ehrman

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
U.S. $6.34 in Kindle format, or U.S. $11.48 plus postage in paperback.

Amazon.com book review:

Throughout much of human history, our most important stories were passed down orally including the stories about Jesus before they became written down in the Gospels. In this fascinating and deeply researched work, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Erhman investigates the role oral history has played in the New Testament and how the telling of these stories not only spread Jesus' message but helped shape it.

A master explainer of Christian history, texts, and traditions, Ehrman draws on a range of disciplines, including psychology and anthropology, to examine the role of memory in the creation of the Gospels. Explaining how oral tradition evolves based on the latest scientific research, he demonstrates how the act of telling and retelling impacts the story, the storyteller, and the listener -- crucial insights that challenge our typical historical understanding of the silent period between when Jesus lived and died and when his stories began to be written down.

This web site had 50 newly created, re-written, or updated essays during 2018-DEC, including the above book review.
In addition, we make major and minor updates to many essays each day that are not recorded below:

• Climate Change. Part 30: During 2018-NOV: Trump Administration releases National Climate Assessment report. Reactions to the report. Hope for people who have no access to clean water
  
  
• Three essays donated by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys
  • The Ethics of Belief: dealing with the evidence needed that is sufficient to believe.
    
    
  • Globalization: cultural, religious, and economic
    
    
  • The Three Primal Processes, and how they work in the Universe
    
    
• 2018-NOV: The tragedy of Missionary John Allen Chau's death
  
  
• Beliefs about the nature of life after death
  
  
• Mass murder in a Pittsburgh synagogue (Part 2)