How about a thread with some uplifting news?
Ex:
"Royal Brunei Airlines' first all-female pilot crew lands plane in Saudi Arabia - where women are not allowed to drive"
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/royal-brunei-airlines-first...
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First ever married same-sex couple Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh to play together in Olympics.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/rio-olympics-2016/1566363/rio-olympics-ma...
And apparently a record number of 49 open LGBT athletes will compete in Rio Olympics.
http://www.outsports.com/2016/7/11/12133594/rio-olympics-teams-2016-gay-...
Awesome!!!! This is truly good news. Another reason you get 5 stars!
Maybe we can actually keep some decent traffic on this thread, eh Prag?
I have faith that we can... ;)
If I may bring in something from the religious sector:
http://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/mosque-india-creates-history-allows-...
"In a landmark decision, a mosque in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh allowed Muslim women to offer prayers on Eid-al Fitr last month."
Lots of space exploration going on. Note the 27th of this month when Juno's sensors will be on and we may get amazing pictures from a spacecraft less than 4,500 Km from the tops of Jupiter's clouds.
"The first high-resolution images of the planet will be taken on August 27 when Juno makes its next close pass to Jupiter."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160712183016.htm
I have no good news for anyone unfortunately.
Anti-Gay Propaganda is piling up in Europe since Europe is Very "Traditional" and Family "Values" are quite MAIN-STUFF.
I want to leave this wretched Place and go somewhere Human.
"India has launched a campaign on social media to celebrate daughters, daughters-in-law and granddaughters this week and is observing a Daughter's Day on Thursday.
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi told the BBC that the Daughters' Day and the Daughters' Week were aimed at reducing female foeticide, improving India's skewed sex ratio and educating girls."
Well it's about time. I hope China is watching.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37034444
"The Christian right can no longer directly demonize gays and transgender people , so it has to lie"
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.thedaily...
"More than 50 Muslim clerics in Pakistan came together to issue a fatwa stating transgender men and women are allowed to marry under sharia law."
http://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/muslim-clerics-pakistan-say-sharia-a...
Holy fatwa!
I really hope it's successful.
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More than 2,000 civilians freed as militants driven out of Syrian city of Manbij
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-against-isis-new...
A female SDF fighter kisses a freed man
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"More than 50,000 people marched in Peru’s capital and eight other cities on Saturday to protest violence against woman and what they say is the indifference of the judicial system."
"Officials said the size of the protest against gender violence was unprecedented in Peru"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/14/thousands-march-in-peru-to...
"Pakistan and Afghanistan join forces to wipe out polio"
"Islamic scholars have been countering the Taliban’s anti-vaccine campaign, accompanying health workers to urge parents to inoculate their children"
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/apr/05/pakistan-afgh...
I know it's gloating, but good news is hard to find... and it's not easy to feel sympathy for someone like Ken Ham.
"Williamstown, Kentucky expected a big economic boon after the arrival of Ken Ham’s Ark Encounter", "...mayor says Ark Encounter is not the economic boon they expected."
"Williamstown took a big chance on the park, granting the attraction more than $60 million in Tax Incremental Funding"
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danthropology/2016/08/williamstown-mayor-sa...
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/news/world/
There's plenty of good news to squander on an unrepentant species, but I digress.
Does the death of Phyllis Schlafly count?
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/05/politics/phyllis-schlafly-dead/index.html
Another kinda positive, very ironic, piece of news:
"ISIS has outlawed veils at their security centres in Mosul, northern Iraq"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3774539/Now-burka-banned-ISIS-Te...
"Women wearing burqas will no longer be allowed to enter buildings in Mosul, an ISIS stronghold, while wearing the full-body covering. Instead, they must wear gloves and gauze to cover their eyes. ISIS' morality police will continue to require women to wear the burqa outside of Mosul's new security rul"
http://www.ibtimes.com/isis-bans-burqas-islamic-state-deems-hijab-securi...
Could this be the start of the end, of forcing women to wear burka?
"Stem Cell Therapy Restores Movement to Paralyzed Man’s Arms and Hands"
http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=85927
"Obama Moves To Protect Planned Parenthood Funding, Permanently"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-planned-parenthood_us_57d2c654...
Even if god can't or won't heal amputees, medical science will!
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/05/496781581/former-marin...
Awesome!
I'm not entirely sure of my view on abortion, but a total ban (even for rape victims) is insanity. So I guess sanity wins this time.
"The Polish parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected a proposed bill that would have effectively banned abortion. The vote comes three days after tens of thousands of Polish women flooded town squares across the country to protest the measure."
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jinamoore/poland-looks-ready-to-abandon-tighter...
Quite a turnout:
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"I'm not entirely sure of my view on abortion,"
Abortion has its own dangers, physical and psychological, and it shouldn't even be necessary in this day and age. Reliable contraceptive technology should be available to everyone. But that's something else we have to thank religions for.
The Polish Catholics seem to have achieved the impossible--they're actually making the Polish communists look good.
Researchers have constructed their first functional heart from stem cells. Near future could see organ growth from your own DNA. (Also I really like this thread. It is heart warming and a great idea.)
http://www.popsci.com/scientists-grow-transplantable-hearts-with-stem-cells
Very good news!
secularism humanism is all centered on one self, if it feels good then do it, as long as we place our trust in ourselves instead of god we will always have conflicts that`s just the way humanity is bent on.when we live by jesus teaching to love god with all our hearts soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves then we can have a better society. it doesn`t come from the ME GENERATION what i want and i want it now but life has more of a meaning when we sacrifice and put others first.We don`t know what that means in todays society everthing is the cell phone and gratification for me and only me.we are missing the mark completely.our entertainment is degenerate our sports is for the big bucks, our universities stand for tolerance we have strayed quite a bit sine the 1960`s we don`t sacrifice like our parents during the great depression and 2 world wars sacrificed.yes continue on this path and we will sink to an all time low.we are quickly becoming a third world country.god help us.
@Skeptical"
"secularism humanism is all centered on one self"
That's a very broad generalization. Theism/Christianity doesn't have a monopoly on doing the right thing and living a good life. Christianity doesn't even have a good track record in loving our neighbors and turning the other cheek, which were fundamental teachings of its supposed founder. In fact Christianity has been one of the biggest sources of conflict in the past two millennia, either between different flavors of Christianity, or between Christianity and Islam. I think the key to making life better in this world is realizing that this the only life and the only world we have, and that no sky fairy is going intervene to fix our mistakes.
God won't help America or anybody else. God's too busy not existing. Instead of praying, you should try a bit of DIY. If you think America's becoming third world, try visiting Nigeria, Brazil, or any other god-plagued hellhole. IMHO America is still great, though I think you need to take a bit more care over the friends you choose (imaginary and otherwise).
Just reading though the comments and yours struck me. I certainly wouldn't want to spend too much time commenting on your reply to @Skeptical" or defend @Skeptical" much either, but I do want to offer up something to think about in addition to your fairly well thought out comments.
- I'd say you are correct is saying that theism doesn't have a monopoly on "doing the right thing" or living a good life. But, I would also say that atheists have a poor standard for the "right thing". In whose opinion of the "right thing" do you mean? Your society? My society? Someone elses society? Atheism has no standard.
- I'd also say that you are right about Christians not having a good "track record". My thought is that this is a reflection on bad Christians and not necessarily the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. I couldn't account for Muslims, but I will say that it appears that Islam demands them to take action against those that do not follow Muhammad -- Christians, atheists, Hindus, etc.
- Last thing. I don't know of anyone who believes in a "sky fairy" these days. I'm sure someone does, its just not a mainstream religion.
＠Miracleman12
"Just reading though the comments and yours struck me"
I appreciate that.
The right thing is a question that's always troubled philosophers and people in general. The people who follow religions seem to think they have it cracked, but history proves them wrong. I think religion can become a kind of insulation around the conscience. Atheists at least know that they have to think for themselves. That's an important first step. We also know that this world and this life are all we get, so we need get it right first time.
In my view the right thing is an amalgam of all the things we need to do (and not do) in order to live in reasonable harmony with each other. If you experience life in several different societies, you start to become aware of certain common denominators that link us all. Violence is wrong (except in self-defence. Theft is wrong. Children are precious. Family is precious. Learning is a good thing. Pain is to be avoided, stopped, prevented. I'm sure there are more. It's mostly summed up in the Golden Rule, which was a widespread concept long before Jesus.
Then there's conscience. That's modified by culture and experience, but I feel that there are fundamental rules hard-wired into our species. We feel bad when we lie or cheat, and we feel good when we help people.
One of the problems with Jesus is that he never wrote anything down, so everything we hear about his teachings is second or third hand. There's lots of room for error and manipulation. Christianity can be used to justify anything.
Sky fairy? When Christians pray, they often look up to the sky or raise their hands. Presumably they believe there's something up there that can bend the rules of nature on their behalf so they can win the lottery or recover from cancer. From my perspective, that sounds like a sky fairy, but a god by any other name would smell as false.
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