Been Awhile

Yes its been awhile since my last post. It seems as though I can never find the time to visit things like this consistently. Anyway, I think I'd like to rant a little about the recent events in Houston. It worries me that at this point in human history; with all of our advanced technology and our ever expanding knowledge of life and the universe, that an idea like "The Response" could even be conjured in a thinking brain. First of all: why prayer? When has prayer had any demonstrable effect or benefit ever?! And no folks...anecdotes, placebo effects and plain strange coincidence don't suffice for proof of prayers efficacy. In fact, these "evidences" of prayer working actually provide proof for its ineffectiveness. Personal accounts (anecdotes) have proven dreadfully unreliable especially in court cases and in sexual abuse claims. The mind is not a video-camera. Memories become lost or altered, and what people "experience" no longer resembles what really happened. And the fact that people LIE is not much of a comfort when asked to trust someones claims of supernatural prayer "experiences." Also, our minds are easily deceived. Just ask anyone who's had the pleasure of attending a Las Vegas magic show. Human beings aren't comfortable with the unknown. We must seek patterns, and we demand explanations for things that we don't understand; even if that means inventing explanations without evidence. And as for the "placebo effect", there exists actual empirical evidence showing how prayer is no more effective than doing nothing (see the April 2006 edition of American Heart Journal ).
So, given all of this (the monstrous and consistent failure of prayer to "deliver the goods") why would the organizers of this event choose PRAYER to address the problems that their PRAYERS have failed to solve?!?! Well, to put it succinctly: they're afraid. They're afraid to actually DO something about the problems with their state (and this country). They're afraid to abandon their Bronze-Age beliefs and start using logic and reason to fix what is wrong. We cant slip back into that dark time of antiquity. I fear that this is where my country is headed.
As the events of August 6, 2011 unfold, and as the new wave of zealots vie for control of our country in 2012, please remember how far we have come. Remember how we have long dismissed the gods of Olympus. Remember how we have dismissed the prejudices of ignorant men, and embraced the ideals of great ones. Remember how important it is for us to fight for our freedom to think. And remember that if we are to continue in our quest for understanding; the suppression of free thought, and the oppression of free-thinkers is the only contribution religion has to provide.
Religion has no place in politics. Religion has no place in society.